Lion Heart
by Moondalian
Summary: AU: After an accident in his youth, Yuugi gains the ability to transform into a lion at will. Now, at the age of 17 and with Egypt in great danger, he must use his powers to help Atemu save the country. All is not what it seems though... YxYY BxR MxM SxJ
1. Prologue: Creation

**Authoress: Moondalian****  
Editor: Tavi  
Summary: AU: After an accident in his youth, Yuugi gains the ability to transform into a lion at will. Now, at the age of 17 and with Egypt in great danger, he must use his powers to help Atemu save the country. All is not what it seems though.  
Pairings: AtemuxYuugi, MalikxMariku, RyouxBakura, SethxJou  
Dedication: S2Teennovelist**

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Howdy people! This fic has been on my computer for ages… and for a very long time I had no idea where I wanted to go with it so it just stayed there, taking up space and not being finished. A while back I finally figured out what I wanted though, so here it is! I've got it done up to chap 4 though, so I have no idea if the weekly updates I usually keep up with will last much longer beyond that. I'll try though.  
Also, this fic is dedicated to my favourite reviewer ever: S2Teennovelist. Your reviews rule and love getting them, so this fic is officially dedicated to you now.  
Well, I'll just stop nagging now and let you people get on with it. R&R folks!

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--: Prologue :--**  
****Creation**

"Yuugi, please watch out where you're going!" A 10-year old Yuugi rolled his eyes at his grandfather's words, the preteen obviously thinking nothing could happen. His grandfather was just too concerned about him; he was only going to play outside; what could possibly go wrong?

"I will Grandpa!" Yuugi sighed as more warnings came from his grandfather, waiting patiently until the older man would be done. Nodding as the speech finally ended, Yuugi quickly fled the small house before his grandfather could start again, and ran into the town he lived in, off to find his three best friends.

It didn't take long to find his friends playing tag near the outskirts of the city so as not to disturb anyone. Sneaking up behind a white-haired boy who was currently giggling at the two blondes chasing one another, Yuugi threw his arms around the other's neck, yelling: "I'm here!" happily. Both boys tumbled to the ground and Yuugi couldn't resist but to laugh at the shocked expression on his friend's face.

"Yuugi! Don't do that!" Yuugi laughed more and the two blondes that had been chasing each other stopped to look in their direction, before also bursting out into laughter at the sight of their white-haired friend.

"Sorry Ryou, I just couldn't resist." The boy beneath Yuugi pouted, but didn't say anything. Yuugi smiled and got off his friend before helping the other up.

"Come on Ry, ya know ya can't glare for your life, it only makes ya look cute." Both Yuugi and Ryou looked at the two blondes now standing next to them, obviously having given up on the game of tag they'd been playing.

Ryou sighed and let the 'glare' falter, "I know Jou, I know." A real pout came back onto his face, making him look even cuter.

The remaining blonde burst into laughter again at this sight, before hugging his friend, "We still love you no matter what." The blond grinned, making him look a little psychotic, and Ryou smiled at his friend. "So what took you so long Yuugi? We've been waiting for ages!"

Yuugi smiled, "You know Grandpa - he needs to give me a speech about being careful every time I go out. How come your sister never does that to you, Malik?" Yuugi pouted slightly, and being just as cute looking as Ryou in that state, Malik had trouble holding back the fit of laughter that was dying to be let out.

"Isis is just too busy all the time to really notice me leaving. And if she does notice, I usually walk out on the speech before I fall asleep." Malik shrugged at the two wondering looks Yuugi and Ryou gave him – knowing his two friends would never even think of walking out like that – before grinning at the smirking Jou next to him. "Anyway, we were planning on playing hide and seek but since you weren't here yet, we started a game of tag instead. What do you want to do? Tag or hide and seek?"

Yuugi's expression turned cheerful again, "Hide and seek!" he exclaimed happily as he heard the name of his favourite game. The others laughed a little at the enthusiasm Yuugi used, before nodding eagerly, "And Malik can start." It was Yuugi's turn to laugh as Malik pouted, but the other didn't say anything against it.

As Malik started to count slowly, the other three friends scrambled away to find a good hiding spot. Jou hid in an alley not far from where Malik was counting, Ryou ran towards a cluster of trees and hid in the shadows while keeping a watchful eye on Malik. Yuugi, on the other hand, decided to give Malik a bit of a hard time finding him, and ran off into the desert a bit, hiding behind a few rocks so no one would see him, even though he was already quite far away and trees masked his position.

Slowly Yuugi let himself sink to the ground, waiting for Malik to come looking for him, although he knew it would take a while. Both Jou and Ryou had seen him run off further into the desert so they'd probably be laughing at Malik's futile attempts at finding him, before at long last giving Malik a few hints… Well, Ryou would give those hints anyway; he was too kind to taunt anyone for long. Jou on the other hand would just keep laughing the entire time, unless he decided to give false hints.

After a while Yuugi started to wonder what was taking Malik so long, but figured that Jou had managed to keep Ryou quiet for once. He lay down on the soft sand and turned his head so he could stare at the grand palace where the Pharaoh lived. The palace was as beautiful as ever, and Yuugi immediately zoned out, dreaming about how it would be like to live there, or even work there. He was so caught up in his daydreams that he didn't hear people approaching him, nor did he hear the conversation starting right on the other side of the rocks he was hiding. It took him a few minutes before the words managed to get through to his mind, and Yuugi snapped back to reality.

"… -all the money?"

"Yes, now do as promised; kill all those rebels."

Yuugi blinked at the words before recognizing the second voice to be that of the Pharaoh, although the first one was unfamiliar. Slowly he glanced over the top of the rock to see a man covered completely in robes so every inch of his body was covered – obviously to hide his identity – talking to the great and mighty Pharaoh. Yuugi eyes also fell on the scowling form of a boy about his age, and had to hold in a gasp as he noted the similarity between himself and the other.

They had the same spiked up hair and facial features, with the exception that the other's hair was tipped in crimson and had blonde lightning shaped bangs going up his ebony black hair, where his own hair was tipped in amethyst and had no blonde going through the black. Also, the other's face seemed to be more angular, although still in a childish sort of way. Their eyes were different too, as the other's eyes were a bit more narrow and crimson, whereas his eyes were more round and amethyst. Still, the resemblance was undeniable, and they could easily pass for brothers.

"Very well, nice doing business with you, Your Majesty." The man covered in robes stalked off towards a black horse not far from where they were, before riding off into the desert. Yuugi glanced back at the duo in front of him to see his look-alike glaring at his father for all he was worth.

"Stop looking at me like that, Atemu. This is necessary." the Pharaoh spoke coldly, obviously not caring about whatever it was he had just done. The younger's glare intensified at those words, not agreeing one bit with his elder.

"No it wasn't. You could try negotiating with the rebels instead of having them killed." Yuugi's eyes widened at realizing what the conversation had been about and why the Pharaoh had given the other man money. A gasp escaped his mouth before he could even try and stop himself, and two sets of eyes turned to lock, immediately spotting him.

"Well, well, well, I believe we found a little eavesdropper." Yuugi gulped and stumbled back at the cold words, his eyes still wide and filled with fear now. The Pharaoh had just ordered a man to kill the rebels, so what would keep him from killing anyone who knew of this? In Yuugi's opinion, nothing.

Yuugi's mind quickly went over his options as the Pharaoh stepped around the rock to look him over, his face quickly turning to an expression of disgust. He could call out to his friends, but seeing as the Pharaoh was wearing the Millennium Puzzle, Yuugi had an idea that they wouldn't stand a chance and he'd only get them into danger. He could try running away, but the older man would certainly catch him within no time.

Fear grew in him as he realized that he had no other choice but to wait and see what the Pharaoh would do to him. Seeing the expression on the Pharaoh's face though, didn't exactly reassure a non-painful solution to this.

"Leave him alone, Father." Yuugi glanced at the growling preteen stepping around the rock, his crimson eyes still set in a glare that was intensifying by the minute.

"Stay out of this, Atemu." Yuugi flinched at the harsh tone used between father and son, wondering why the Prince and his father were speaking so hatefully to each other.

After a few moments of glaring at each other, the Pharaoh broke the contest and turned his glare on Yuugi, making the young one flinch visibly again. "You were eavesdropping, weren't you? You're with the rebels, aren't you?!"

Yuugi's eyes widened even more, fear clearly visible for everyone to see, before shaking his head vigorously, "No! I-I was just… and then…" Too nervous to make a coherent sentence, Yuugi turned pleading amethyst eyes up to meet those of the Pharaoh, hoping to let the man know that he was innocent like that.

The Pharaoh though, took the look as that of someone confessing his guilt, and trying to beg for his life.

"You insolent runt! How dare you even look at me?!" Yuugi cowered and stumbled backwards as the Millennium Puzzle around Pharaoh Aknunkanon's neck glowed, responding to the obvious anger of its master. Clenching his eyes shut, Yuugi prepared to be killed by the great magic within the Millennium Item, knowing there was no way to protect himself from it.

A moment passed and instead of being killed, Yuugi heard someone stumbling and falling to the ground as an angry voice growled lowly.

"You will _not_ harm him!" Yuugi quickly snapped his eyes back open to see the young Prince lying on top of his father, an aura of rage seemingly beaming off the young one.

Wide amethyst eyes met angry narrowed crimson for a moment as Prince Atemu glanced back, the anger in the crimson orbs seeming to dim down as they locked, before the Prince was thrown off his father.

"Run!" Yuugi hesitated for a minute, but then complied with the obvious order the Prince had given. Quickly getting to his feet, Yuugi ran further into the desert as fast as he could, not wanting to endanger his friends by running to them. His eyes were clenched tightly and tears were slowly making their way down his face. The Prince had _saved_ him. If it hadn't been for Atemu, the Pharaoh would've killed him there. Yuugi promised himself there and then that if there was ever a way to help Atemu, he would grab the chance and do everything in his power to help.

It wasn't long before Yuugi could hear someone following him though, and hearing the angry voice of Pharaoh Aknunkanon, Yuugi's body went into overdrive, adrenaline pumping through his veins to try and keep him from dying.

Yuugi opened his eyes, hoping to find something that could help him get away from the 'madman' – as Yuugi had now officially dubbed the 'great' Pharaoh. What met his eyes though made not only him, but his heart stop as well.

A beautiful majestic lion with golden brown fur that shimmered with the rays of Ra was standing not too far away from him, the gleam in the mighty animal's eyes showing interest and hunger. Yuugi remembered his grandfather telling him about the lion living in the desert and telling him not to go out too far.

Glancing back, Yuugi saw the Pharaoh stop not to far behind him, so now neither way was anywhere near safe. His eyes widened in fear once more, realizing he was really going to die and there wasn't anyone to save him this time.

"Well, well, well, you worked yourself into quite the mess, haven't you?" The Pharaoh smirked in a predatory way, much like how the lion was looking at Yuugi at the moment. Magic slowly started to swirl around the mighty king as a shadowy aura appeared around him. Before Yuugi could do anything, both the lion and the magic of the Millennium Puzzle shot towards him.

At the same time as the lion struck its prey, the magic of the Puzzle hit as well. Nothing but pain consumed the small preteen, before his entire world blacked out and he gave into the darkness that would probably take him to the afterlife.

The Pharaoh grinned maniacally as not only the brat, but also the lion crumpled to the ground. It seemed his magic had not only killed the boy but the menace that had been killing his people as well. The lion had been a gift from some nearby country – he hadn't bothered to remember which one – but had escaped its prison. Since then, it had managed to survive in the desert by killing those who it came across. Not that he really cared about what the lion had done, but it was an added bonus for now. Besides, the lion had been a nice excuse to start a war once more.

Hearing the gasp behind him, Pharaoh Aknunkanon turned around to see his son staring at the two forms with wide eyes, sorrow, anger, hate, and pity filling his eyes at the same time. Sorrow and pity, for the two lying on the sands of the desert, and anger and hate towards his father for doing such a thing.

"How could you?!" The Pharaoh didn't even bother to answer his son's question and just slapped the boy across the face for even daring to disobey him. The preteen fell to the ground, some tears making their way across his cheeks. Whether it was because of the slap or because of what his father had done to the boy and lion, only Atemu knew.

"We are going back to the palace. You will not speak a word of what happened today _ever_ again. You will start listening to me and you will _never_ disobey me again. Do I make myself clear?" Atemu didn't answer, refusing to agree to whatever his father said, but not wanting to get beaten up again.

The Pharaoh just narrowed his eyes, before dragging his son away, not caring one bit about what had just happened.

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Pain, it was all Yuugi could feel, think, sense. It blocked out his hearing and made sure he couldn't open his eyes, and for a second Yuugi was sure he had either died, or was at least dying. That was until three familiar voices suddenly echoed through his mind, somehow managing to cut through the pain.

"Is he alright?"

"What do you think genius? Of course he's not alright!"

"Don't yell at Ryou, Malik. We're all just worried about Yuug."

Yuugi tried to focus on the voices, trying not to slip back into the darkness that he'd been lying in for so long now. Were that Ryou, Malik and Jou? But… if he could hear them… then he wasn't dead!

"Well he's been out for a week! How do we know he's really going to make it?!"

"Because he just can't die…"

Yuugi tried desperately to open his eyes, to wake up from the half-unconscious state he was in. He _had_ to let them know he was okay, aside from all the pain of course.

Slowly amethyst managed to reveal itself from behind heavy eyelids as Yuugi slowly came back to the world of the waking. His vision was blurry, he still hurt all over, but at least he could see the shapes and colours of his three friends standing next to the bed.

"Gu-ys." All eyes turned to the softly whispered word, all eyes wide and shocked that their friend had finally woken up after so long.

"Yuug! You're awake! Thank Ra!" Jou, being as careless as he was, had to be held back by Ryou and Malik so he wouldn't hurt Yuugi by even so much as touching him. Yuugi smiled softly through his pain, amused by his friend's antics.

"What happened?"

"Well, we were hoping you could tell us. We found you in the desert, the dead body of a lion draped over you." Malik eyed his friend in concern, a slight protective streak building up inside of him. Why had his friend been out there so far? What was up with the lion? And why had he been hurt so badly all over? Sure, most of the wounds had healed by now, but some bad ones where still marring his skin, tainting the slightly tanned flesh.

"I…" Yuugi thought for a second about what had happened, the memories of that day flooding back into his mind. Yuugi wondered if he should even tell his friends what had happened, as it wouldn't make much of a difference and only worry them further. "…don't remember anymore."

Malik looked at him suspiciously, but didn't push the matter any further, knowing his friend wasn't going to say anything more than this even if there was more to tell.

"Uhm, guys? I think we should let him rest now. It's pretty late anyway so we should be heading home." Malik and Jou nodded at their friend's words, before all three said their 'goodbye's and 'goodnight's. Yuugi watched as all three left with a sad smile on his face, mentally apologizing for lying to them.

Not long after his friends had left, his grandfather also came in to see him. After a few relieved and strict words, the man also questioned what had happened out in the desert. Yuugi, with even more guilt than before, gave the same answer as he had given his friends. His grandfather seemed doubtful, but didn't question any further. After a while the man left to let Yuugi rest, seeing as the boy still needed to heal more.

Yuugi curled up in the bed, wincing at the pain the movements caused him. His thoughts went back to what had happened, and he wondered how he had survived the attack of both a lion and the magic of the Millennium Puzzle. It seemed to be impossible, yet he had done it somehow.

His thoughts then turned to the young Prince that had saved him the first time. After what Yuugi had seen of the Pharaoh, he was sure that the Prince had paid the price for that action. Was the other alright? How hard had the Pharaoh punished him? Was… would the Pharaoh kill his own son?

Yuugi shook his head; he couldn't think that way. Atemu had to be fine. The Pharaoh couldn't just kill him.

On the other hand, torture was much worse than death.

Tears streamed down Yuugi's face and he sobbed softly, guilty that it was because of him that the Prince was being punished in the first place. If he hadn't run so far into the desert just to hide, none of this would've happened. He wouldn't have been almost killed. Atemu wouldn't have gotten punished. Nothing would've been wrong.

Anger took over Yuugi next. The Pharaoh shouldn't even be punishing the Prince for being kind and trying to help someone. How come no one knew what kind of person the Pharaoh really was? The man should be punished instead of his son.

Soft magic suddenly swirled around Yuugi and his eyes snapped open at the strange sensation. His eyes widened as he saw the golden magic all around him, but he was too weak to cry out for help, even in reaction to the fact that the magic was there. Only soft strangled sounds came from him as the magic started to change him somehow. His body glowed briefly, before the magic completely overtook the struggling preteen on the bed.

Slowly the magic dissipated and amethyst eyes that had closed in fear before opened in apprehension. There was something very different… For one, his pain seemed to have lessened. For two, he felt… stranger.

Yuugi wanted to sit up, but found himself unable to. Glancing down at himself, Yuugi's eyes widened again as he saw something he hadn't expected.

Instead of his normal body, that of a lion with ebony black fur was there now. As Yuugi looked further, he saw that everything about him had changed into the appearance of a lion with ebony black fur and golden blonde manes that held an amethyst sheen to them.

Not able to deal with all that had happened, Yuugi fainted.

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And there's the prologue. Hope you all enjoyed and **for those who don't completely understand what happened to Yuugi, it'll be explained a bit further on. .. or at least I hope so °sweatdrops° Anyway, Review people!**


	2. Chapter 1: Hikari

**Wow, never thought I'd get so many reviews to just the prologue °****stares in amazement° I seriously love all you people XD Keep it up guys! Anyway, here's the first actual chapter so I hope you all like the actual story as much as the prologue. R&R folks!**

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--: 01 :--**  
****Hikari**

The soft running of a beast on four legs was heard through the silent night's air as barely audible pants were let out in a constant rhythm combined with it. Ebony fur and long golden blonde manes that seemed to hold an amethyst sheen to them shone under the full moon sky with a thin layer of sweat, as half-lidded amethyst eyes tried to focus on the road ahead.

Hearing a crash behind him, the beast risked a glance back to see his pursuers hot on his tail and not willing to give up any time in the near future. Quickly the amethyst orbs looked back ahead, the owner of the eyes forcing his body to go even faster even though he knew he wouldn't be able to withstand much more. He also knew that if he was caught now, all would be lost and his Pharaoh would never make it through the war at hand alive.

"That damned lion just won't give up! We have to catch it before it reaches the palace!"

"Don't you think I know that? Run faster you moron!"

The lion ignored the two insignificant voices behind him and tried to focus on the road he was running on again - something that seemed very hard as exhaustion had already claimed him a long time ago, and his body was working on reserves it shouldn't even possess.

The two trying to catch him were nothing, mere minions with no power whatsoever in a world that was waging a war. The two would normally pose no threat to him, and if nothing had happened he would've easily defeated them with no problems at all. It was just too bad that he had used up everything he had in a battle against Mariku, one of the two leaders of the opposing side. A battle that had only led to him being exhausted and hurt, and Mariku escaping.

The lion started to slow down even more, his strength leaving him more and more as the seconds passed by. His vision became more blurry and large amounts of sweat covered his fur everywhere. At long last the palace came in sight, a grand sight to behold and something the lion had stared at many hours from the nearby village. Although the ebony lion was glad he was almost back to his Pharaoh, he wasn't there yet and he couldn't give in to the sleep wanting to take him away from reality yet. If the two minions did catch him and brought him to their leaders, Thief King Bakura and Assassin Mariku would have no mercy on him and would make the Pharaoh surrender just for his safety; something that couldn't happen no matter what.

"Shit, he's there! We're too late!"

Groans were heard followed by two 'thump's and the lion knew his pursuers had finally given up. With his last strength he rushed passed the palace guards who only registered a blur of black with golden manes, knowing immediately their most trusted ally had returned and was in a hurry. Suspiciously they eyed the darkness in front of them, trying to see if anyone had followed the beast, but no one was seen, although they knew the darkness was hiding a lot in it.

The lion rushed into the palace, ignoring all the gasps and startled cries. Guards sprang into action as soon as they heard him coming, but relaxed again as soon as they saw who he was, and let him pass without any problems. The lion rushed along the corridors that seemed to form rather a maze than a palace, until he finally got to the room where he had been heading for. By now his speed had slowed down to a mere walking pace, and the guards seeing his state opened the grand doors for him with concerned eyes. The lion took no notice of it and merely walked into the room before collapsing onto the floor as soon as he was inside, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Hikari! What happened?!" The lion looked up as the name that had been given to him by the Pharaoh himself was spoken in a deep baritone voice, only to look up into warm, concerned crimson eyes. The Pharaoh kneeled down next to the young lion and lightly stroked the fur on his back while looking into the eyes of whom he considered his best friend.

_/ I got into a fight with Mariku. I only barely escaped and didn't manage to kill __him off. /_ The voice echoing through Pharaoh Atemu's head was soft, tired, and sounded disappointed in itself. Softly Atemu smiled at the lion in front of him and continued to stroke the ebony black fur that felt more like silk than hair.

"You did fine, I'm just glad you escaped, although your state…" Atemu trailed off and watched a small smile grace the lion's features as well as amethyst locked with crimson again. It seemed his friend was merely tired and needed a lot of rest. "Sleep, you'll need it."

Slowly the Pharaoh helped Hikari to a 'bed' of pillows and blankets in the corner of his bedchamber. Although Hikari was only a lion and almost never accepted an invitation to stay for the night, Atemu saw him as a dear friend and enjoyed the time spent with the other. Besides, Hikari was no normal lion and everyone knew it.

For one, he could speak in other's minds as if he had spoken it out loud. For two, Hikari wasn't even a real lion. Not many knew that Hikari was in reality a human being roaming the streets of the cities and none except Hikari himself knew who that human being really was. Atemu had tried many times to find out who his friend really was and how it was that he could transform into a strong, yet young lion with fur as black as the night, manes that seemed to be made out of gold, and warm, shining, innocent amethyst eyes, but all attempts had failed. Hikari didn't say anything to stop Atemu from looking, but would never reveal who he was, himself. Even so, Atemu trusted the other with his life and no one was closer to him than Hikari.

As soon as Hikari lay down, his eyes closed and the exhaustion of all the events of the day claimed him, taking him away from reality for the night and bringing him to the world of dreams. During the night he didn't wake once like he would normally, though the magic used to keep him in his lion form kept flowing through his veins, his guard never going down and all senses still alert. Hikari slept until far after Ra rose the next morning and the Pharaoh let him sleep with a smile on his face, glad his friend was resting and would probably be back to normal as soon as he awoke.

At noon amethyst eyes finally opened slowly and looked around the room he was sleeping in. The first thing that registered was that he was in Atemu's room, the second was that he had been a fool to stay since his lack of energy could've cost him his transformation. If he had transformed back into his human form over night, Hikari would've never forgiven himself. Of course he trusted Atemu enough to let him know who he really was, but information like that was better kept to himself so no one could ever confront Atemu with it.

Hikari's eyes met those of his Pharaoh and all thoughts of being a fool left his mind. The Pharaoh smiled at him before coming over and sitting down on the pillows next to him, before looking back at him with those warm crimson eyes Hikari adored so much, "I see you're awake again. Feeling better?"

_/ Yeah, I'm fine again though I think I slept half of the day and my friends must be worried about me… /_ Hikari looked away at the searching look Atemu gave him, knowing the Pharaoh wanted nothing more than to know who he really was. They'd been friends like this for a year now, ever since Atemu had become Pharaoh. Atemu's father, Aknunkanon, had made a big mess of Egypt and had caused the war that was still raging throughout the entire nation. Atemu had been left to clean up that mess and had done a very good job so far. The only ones still opposing him were Mariku and Bakura it seemed. Sadly they were very convincing and although no one opposed Atemu in action, many agreed with the two.

Ever since Hikari had been a 10-year old, he had wanted to help the other in any and every way possible. With his ability to transform into a lion, he had started helping Atemu fight Bakura and Mariku and many saw him as the savior of the country since he had defeated a lot of opponents for Atemu. Of course Atemu himself hadn't been doing nothing either; he had fought right beside Hikari most of the time and the two had grown really close… maybe too close in Hikari's case.

"Maybe you should go see them then, if you feel up to it." Atemu mentally sighed as he saw Hikari look back with a smile before nodding slowly and getting up. He quickly patted the lion's soft fur, gaining a soft purr from the other before watching his friend leave. Ra, what he wouldn't give to know who Hikari was in reality. Probably his entire country.

Hikari in the mean time ran out of the palace at top speed, wanting to get to his friends as soon as possible so they wouldn't worry about him. None of his friends knew he was the lion everyone talked about at least once a day, and he didn't want them to find out either. Of course this gave quite some problems since two of his friends were quite nosy, but he'd managed so far.

As soon as Hikari left the palace, he ran to town and into an alley before anyone could see him. Making sure no one was there to see him, he slowly let the magic keeping him in his lion form dissipate and transformed into a normal, maybe a bit short for his age teenager. Letting out a sigh he grabbed the bundle of clothes lying there to change – since walking around naked wasn't really an option and lions didn't wear clothes.

"There just has to be an easier way to do this," he grumbled softly as he tied the red sash around his waist.

"Easier way for what?" The teen jumped and his eyes widened in shock as he heard an impatient, familiar voice behind him. He was busted, and the one who had caught him was going to keep nagging him about this until he came up with a good answer… which he didn't have.

"Uhm… hey Malik… nice weather huh?"

"Yuugi, where have you been?! We've been worried sick about you and you start talking about the weather?!" The teen now known as Yuugi sighed as he listened to his friend rant on about how worried he and the others had been, and that this had to stop since it had happened too often already. Of all the people who could've found him, why did it have to be Malik and not Ryou for instance? Ryou would've never gone crazy like Malik was currently doing, and would've just let it slide for the umpteenth time.

"You could've told us where you were going and all those other times you were suddenly gone and are you even listening to me?" Malik sighed as he got no response from his friend and snapped his fingers in front of the other's face to draw the attention back to reality, "_Yuugi_!"

Yuugi jumped as he gave Malik an apologetic look. Of course he'd zoned out again, knowing his friend would continue to ramble on for a while about things he'd said a million times before, "Sorry Malik, I was just… gone. I'm fine so stop worrying."

Malik narrowed his eyes at hearing the same excuse as always, "And where did you go then?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's go find Jou and Ryou. They're probably worried too." Yuugi carefully passed his friend and started off towards the center of the town, trying as hard as he could to ignore the piercing look Malik was giving him.

"Well maybe if you told us where you were going we wouldn't worry so much."

"I doubt it." Yuugi mumbled under his breath, being careful so Malik wouldn't hear him. "What does it matter Malik? I'm fine right?"

"That's not the point! You're always running off to Ra-knows where and worrying everyone else sick!" Malik let out a sigh before shaking his head and giving up, "I give up, you're hopeless and you'll never listen anyway."

Guilt stabbed at Yuugi's heart for having to lie to his friends so much, but telling them the truth would be just as bad as telling Atemu the truth. It would only put them in danger if someone ever found out they knew the real identity of Hikari.

Both boys walked in silence for a while - though Yuugi could feel the suspicious and half angry look boring into his back – until the amethyst-eyed boy heard someone cry out before being tackled to the ground by a blur of blonde. Blinking as he hit the ground, Yuugi glanced down to see Jou hugging him tightly and of course ranting about how worried he'd been as well. At hearing a soft chuckle, Yuugi glanced back up to see his strangely pale white-haired friend Ryou trying to suppress his laughter at the sight of Jou lying on top of Yuugi – the blonde was much bigger after all.

"Jou! Get off me!" Yuugi playfully swatted the blonde on the head, laughing himself at the pout Jou gave him for the action.

"But Yuug! You were gone and we were worried and den Malik disappeared too and we were even more worried and-" Yuugi sweat dropped as his friend went into a new rant. This… was going to take while unless he did something.

"Guys, help?!" Yuugi looked pleadingly at both his other friends as Jou just continued to ramble on. Instead of getting help though, Ryou just laughed more and Malik smirked evilly at him. _'Well nice friends I have!'_ Yuugi pouted but let Jou – who was still lying on top of him – rant for a while, knowing it was useless to try and stop him since he'd just start all over again.

After Jou had _finally_ stopped with his rant and had helped Yuugi to get up, he gave the other an apologetic look, "Sorry Yuug, I guess I went overboard again huh? But seriously, where were ya?"

Yuugi let out a sigh. How much guilt could a person feel at the same time for crying out loud?! It wasn't like he really had a choice, but it still felt wrong to lie to his friends so much, "Nowhere Jou, I'm fine." Yuugi smiled reassuringly and Jou seemed to drop the subject without any doubt, Ryou was just too… Ryou to really want to push the subject anyway, but Malik gave him that suspicious look again. Yuugi was mentally sweating since he knew how pushy his friend could be, but Malik seemed to stick to looking without saying anything. Not that that was any better for his nerves.

"So what are we gonna do?" Jou looked at his friends curiously, as usual having no idea himself and therefore just deciding to let his friends choose.

"Let's just hang around, there isn't much to do." Ryou smiled his usual friendly smile as he looked at his friends. There wasn't much to do anyway; the city they lived in, although it was the closest one to the palace, was the main target of Bakura and Mariku, so not many people even lived there anymore.

"Yeah, we'll just go see what's up at the town square or something." All nodded at Malik's suggestion and headed for the center of the small town. As they walked they didn't even seem to notice the destroyed buildings all around them, obviously too used to the sight by now.

The entire town had been attacked so much that people didn't even bother to repair the damage anymore, knowing it would be destroyed in no time anyway. The only place that the small group of people still living in the town for one reason or another kept rebuilding was the town square, since that was where the bigger events where held and the where market was too.

The group of friends entered the town square and just looked around the small market that was being held while goofing around. Jou and Malik managed to get into trouble by almost wrecking one of the stands, but luckily Ryou, being the polite teen he was, managed to set it straight without any punishment. Jou and Malik were very grateful for this and mockingly threw themselves at the feet of the white-haired teen, saying that they'd do anything to repay their friend, before bursting out into laughter together with Yuugi and Ryou.

Malik wiped the tears streaming over his face away before suddenly noticing the slight shaking of the ground below them. All glanced at each other questioningly, before looking in at the entrance of the town with fearful eyes. Seeing a dust cloud coming closer to them, all knew what was coming towards them and what would happen next.

Bakura and Mariku were coming and seeing the dust cloud, they felt like destroying everything quickly this time.

"We gotta get outta here!" Jou started running away from the main square, followed closely by Malik and Ryou. Yuugi on the other hand let out a frustrated sigh; he'd only just recovered from his last battle with Mariku and now he was going to have to battle both Bakura and Mariku at the same time? This was _not_ his day.

Glancing back and seeing his friends too panicked to notice him not following, Yuugi ran into one of the alleys with a scowl set on his face; this was going to be very hard and he could only hope Atemu would come to help him in time.

Quickly getting out of his clothes, Yuugi let the magics in him flow through him and in a swirl of golden sparkling streams of that magic, his body slowly transformed into that of Hikari.

Hikari growled as he heard explosions, meaning that Bakura and Mariku had already started their little party without him. _'__Damn.'_

Quickly he ran out of the shadows to see that indeed Bakura and Mariku were using the magic of the Millennium Ring and Rod to destroy everything in sight while laughing maniacally. Hikari growled again before roaring menacingly to draw the attention to himself instead of the people still trying to run.

Bakura was the first to stop laughing and look at the ebony lion glaring at him. A smirk formed on his face as he stared mockingly at the lion, "Well, well, well, if it isn't our little cat. Come to play without your master this time kitty-cat? Well, I guess he finally showed his true colours."

Hikari resisted the urge to pounce Bakura for speaking about Atemu so disrespectfully, but stopped himself knowing that it would only be playing into Bakura's hand.

_/ Mock all you want, Bakura. But you're going to have to __go through me before you can destroy this town. /_ Hikari glared defiantly at the two in front of him. Mariku had calmed down in the mean time too, looking at the lion with the same mocking look as his friend was.

"Well the last time we fought I believe it was you who bit the dust first, and now you have to deal with us both." Although Hikari knew Mariku was right – which took a lot to admit – he wasn't about to let these two go on destroying everything around them just for fun; he'd rather die than let that happen. Besides, the fight between Mariku and himself had ended in a draw.

_/ Well then, we'll just have to see if you're rig__ht about that, won't we Mariku/_

Mariku and Bakura smirked at each other before getting ready to fight their furry opponent. Since Atemu wasn't there, Hikari didn't stand a chance if they worked together and they knew Hikari knew that too. For them, this was going to b a lot of fun.

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… **Did I just end my first chapter on a somewhat cliffie? I mean, seriously, **_**first**_** chapter and already it begins. Ghe, that must speak really positive of future chaps huh? Oh well, it's not so big a cliffie °cough°thitime°cough° so I'm sure you'll all survive. I hope you all enjoyed the chap and Review people!**


	3. Chapter 2: Problem

**C'mon people, that last chapter's ending really wasn't that bad… I mean, I just finished writing a chapter with a far worse cliffie! ****(Yes, fear me!) Anyway, on with the chapter ne? Yes, I think so too! Hope you enjoy and R&R!**

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--: 02 :--**  
****Problems**

Atemu let out a sigh as he stared at the letter one of his servants had just given him. It was from his cousin, also one of his High Priest, Seth and it wasn't exactly good news. Atemu had send Seth undercover amongst the people in the cities to see what they thought of the rebels and how their Pharaoh was ruling. Sadly enough, the letter stated something Atemu hadn't hoped to get as an answer to this, though had known was a big possibility.

_

* * *

Atemu,_

_I've travelled for over a month now and __I've visited several towns and cities. To my regret I have to report that a lot of people in the cities hope that the rebels Bakura and Mariku win the battle and some would even be willing to help them, even if they destroy a lot of towns to prove their points._

_I__'ve found several people already helping the rebel leaders, and although I tried getting information out of them I failed. It seems the followers are more loyal and smart than we thought at first. Since I don't want to blow my cover, I can't do much about it._

_What I have learned__ is that Bakura and Mariku are planning a full scale attack on the palace, but I haven't found anyone who knew when this will be. Either they really don't know, or they're smart enough to stay quiet about it._

_Most of the complaints ar__e still from your father's time but no one seems to believe that you'll be any different from him. "Like father like son," as they say. When I try telling them about all the good things that have happened so far, they just wave it off as if it's nothing and say you're just trying to win their trust for some purpose or another._

_In short, the__ rebels hold a lot of power over the people, and only few would choose your side if they had to choose._

_I hope to hear from you soon and to return home,_

_Seth_

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Atemu let out yet another sigh after rereading the letter. He could feel the annoyed vibe coming from the piece of papyrus and knew his cousin wanted nothing more than to come back to the palace; Seth had never been much of a people person. Just simply the fact that Seth had forsaken his title in an official letter and had addressed him by his name instead showed that the other was now appealing to him rather as his cousin than his Pharaoh, something highly uncharacteristic for the brunette.

Taking a piece of papyrus to reply to his cousin and inform the other that he could come back home – as he'd gotten the information he had wanted – Atemu started writing with a scowl set on his face.

His father was to blame for all of this. The former Pharaoh Aknunkanon had ruled the country only so he would benefit from every law made and he had barely done anything to help Egypt. Rebels had started to resist his rule and although many were killed, they were persistent and didn't give in to the threats Aknunkanon had made.

Now that Atemu was Pharaoh, many people thought he would rule Egypt like his father had, and only few trusted in his ability to lead Egypt in a proper way. Atemu had managed to repair a lot of the damage his father had done to Egypt, and most of the rebels – although they still didn't trust him – had given him a chance to prove his worth. Bakura and Mariku were a whole different story though.

Bakura was a tomb robber and many called him the 'King of Thieves'. He didn't care one bit about what happened to Egypt and it seemed he just wanted to spite Atemu. He promised the people a better rule if he became Pharaoh and so people followed him without thinking.

Mariku was simply psychotic. He was an assassin and loved to kill, maim and destroy as much as he could. He just nodded when Bakura made all his promises and tried to look innocent. No one really fell for this act, but supported him nonetheless.

Although the two attacked towns, they always picked those who had supporters of his rule living in them. His people had seemingly taken to only living in towns where everyone was for the same party, thus looking for towns to attack was easy for Bakura and Mariku. When asked why they attacked those towns, they said it was to undermine his rule and for the benefit of the war. None questioned any further.

As Atemu finished his reply to Seth, he handed the letter to the messenger so he could take it back. Atemu sat back in his throne, closing his eyes briefly and trying to will away the headache that was forming – something that was failing miserably.

"Pharaoh! Pharaoh! The city is being attacked!" Atemu shot up from his throne as a guard ran into the throne room, crumbling to the ground out of breath more than really bowing. Atemu paid no heed to it as he immediately walked passed his guards and ran to the stables to get his horse; there was no time to spare, Hikari was probably already fighting so he had to be fast.

"Pharaoh, you need to saddle…" Atemu didn't even listen to the man trying to stop him and jumped onto the horse even though it wasn't wearing any saddle. He had ridden many times like this when he was still young, so he was used to it. Besides, there was no time for properly saddling up and things like that.

"Pharaoh!" Atemu raced out of the stable, urging the horse to go faster and faster the entire way to the main square of the town closest to the palace; that was where Bakura and Mariku always seemed to go.

* * *

Hikari let out a loud roar of pain as two shadow balls his him dead on. He was slammed into the wall of a house and blood poured out of the wounds all over his body. He was tired, hurt, and barely conscious by now.

Bakura and Mariku were better, but not much. Hikari had managed to hurt them more than they'd ever thought possible and they had to finish this fight fast if they wanted to get away before Atemu arrived. In the state they were in right now, Atemu would have a great advantage over them, even if there were two of them and only one of him.

"Damn, I feel Atemu coming and he's not happy." Bakura glared at the direction of the palace, feeling the obvious energy signature of the Millennium Puzzle coming closer.

"Well then we'll just have to finish it fast." Mariku pointed the Rod at Hikari again, before blasting the ebony lion once more with a shadowy beam.

Bakura rolled his eyes; that's what they'd been trying the entire time but that damned lion wouldn't _die_! Shaking his head, he simply joined Mariku in his assault, making the poor lion cry out in pain again. A maniacal grin appeared on Bakura's face as he finally felt Hikari's life energy seeping away from him; it wouldn't take much longer now before they'd finally get rid of the pesky kitty-cat.

Hikari clenched his eyes, no longer able to stand up or defend himself in any way. Hearing a small gasp not too far away from him, he slowly opened his amethyst orbs to faintly make out three forms staring at him from a nearby alley. Blinking a few times in hopes of getting rid of the blurry vision, he could make out the faces of the three a little better, and he immediately closed his eyes again, mentally cursing all the gods for doing this to him.

From the nearby alley, Malik, Ryou and Jou were staring at him with wide eyes. Hikari figured that they must've finally noticed that he hadn't come with them and had come back to see if anything had happened to him. Great, his energy was low and slipping away from him and he wouldn't be able to keep his transformation up much longer. Not only would he die here, but he'd die in front of his three friends who would probably be killed when they were found out as well.

Definitely not his day.

"Does poor kitty-cat want to sleep?" Mariku's mocking voice sounded, the malice clearly heard as well. Hikari tried to get up, he had to try and stop them long enough for Atemu to come. Needless enough to say he couldn't move a muscle after all the abuse he'd gotten already.

'_I have to __do _something._'_

"Well, let us help you." Hikari braced himself for another blast from the Millennium Ring and Rod, but although he heard a blast being fired, it didn't hit him.

Confused Hikari opened his eyes again and tried to see through his blurry vision. As he blinked a few times, a small smile graced his lips; Atemu.

Atemu glared at the two rebel leaders as he held a shadow ball ready to throw. Mariku and Bakura had obviously nearly killed Hikari, but the lion seemed to still be alive, although barely. He'd love to finish Bakura and Mariku off for that, but Hikari needed his help more.

Glaring back at the new arrival, Bakura and Mariku got off the ground. The shadow ball Atemu had thrown had hit them both and thrown them back, but it hadn't hit them enough to do much damage.

"Damned Pharaoh! Always has to come at the wrong time." Bakura hissed under his breath before glancing at Mariku to see a slight nod and a glare to match his own.

"You better get out of here while you still can. In your state I can easily finish you off." Atemu growled in a low, dangerous voice.

A few moments passed with the three just glaring at each other until Bakura and Mariku finally backed off, "Fine, but we'll get your little pet one day, and then you won't be there to protect him." Bakura hissed back, before he and Mariku rode off on the horses they'd come on.

"Hikari!" Atemu immediately snapped his attention to his fallen friend and raced over to the barely conscious lion, gently lifting the other's head into his lap and checking him over. Worry shone in his eyes at seeing the many wounds marring the other's body and the amount of blood tainting the ebony fur.

_/ I'm okay. I've been through worse_ Even though Hikari was making an obvious effort not to show any pain in his voice, Atemu could still clearly hear the pained tone. He snorted and made his way over to his horse, Hikari lifted on his back as carefully as possible so as not to hurt the lion too much.

"You're covered in blood and I can't even count the amount of wounds you have. You're far from okay." He lifted Hikari onto his horse before taking the reigns, "I'm taking you to the palace for medical care."

Hikari mentally panicked, knowing full well there was no arguing with Atemu in situations like this. His energy was nearly gone and there was a big chance he would transform back to his human form soon. If that happened, not only would Atemu know who he was, but his friends would too. He could still sense the three watching from the alley, most likely wide-eyed about what they'd just seen. Since most people assumed Atemu was just as cruel as his father had been, seeing the Pharaoh like this would most likely be a shocker.

_Really, Atemu. I'm fine. /_ Hikari jumped off the horse and took a few steps away so Atemu couldn't grab him, all the while standing on shaking legs. He tried to steady himself to seem less hurt than he really was, but failed miserably as the rest of his body started to shake as well.

"You don't even have the strength to stand normally." Atemu gave a pointed glare, "Now stop being so stubborn and come to the palace; you need help."

Hikari shook his head, regret shining in half-lidded eyes, _/ I'm sorry, Atemu. I can't. /_

With the last of his strength Hikari ran into a nearby alley, using his knowledge of the city to lose Atemu as fast as possible. He could hear Atemu calling after him before the other gave pursuit, but Hikari knew the other would never catch up by now. The city had many alleys and only those who had lived there for their entire lives could get around without getting lost. He just hoped Atemu would be able to find his way back after giving up.

After making sure no one was around and Atemu would never pick the right way at all the turns he'd taken, Hikari collapsed against a wall, whimpering softly as without any energy left, his transformation into his human form began. Without the shadow magic the full pain of all the wounds came crashing over him, tears cascading down his face at the force of it.

Yuugi lay there, not knowing for how long or what was now happening in the city. People had probably started coming out of their houses and his friends were probably looking for him again. He wondered if Atemu had given up yet, but knowing how stubborn the other could be, it wasn't very likely. Eventually he'd have no choice but to give up though.

The soft calling of his name in the distance snapped him out of his thoughts. Yuugi immediately recognized the voices as Malik, Ryou, and Jou's. Malik seemed to be the closest to him.

'_If Malik finds me like this, he'll never accept any excuse but the truth. I have to get away from here!'_ Yuugi tried to get up, to stand and walk away further so he could heal more. His grandfather had passed away three years ago during an attack on their town, so no one but his friends would wonder where he'd gone. If he could just hide long enough so he could heal, his friends wouldn't have to wonder why he'd gotten so hurt.

By the time Yuugi had finally managed to get to his feet, legs shaking and tears flowing even more because of the strong pain, it was already too late. Malik came rushing around the corner, the name he'd been calling for such a long time dying in his throat as he saw the person he was looking for.

"Yuugi! Fuck, what happened to you?!" The sandy-blonde rushed to help his friend, ignoring the fact that he was completely naked and casting worried eyes over the many wounds. At getting no reply, he looked up questioningly.

Yuugi bit his lower lip, still silent. He didn't know what to tell his friends. He could lie easily, he'd thought of the excuse already and no matter how lame it was, at least it was an excuse. He knew Malik would see straight through it though. Then again, he didn't have much choice.

"I wasn't fast enough in getting away and got hit by one of the attacks. I ran away but buildings were collapsing and I couldn't dodge all the debris." It didn't explain how he'd gotten so far or why there were so many wounds, and he could clearly read in Malik's eyes that the other knew that as well.

Malik took a step back, an empty look in his eyes as he looked straight into Yuugi's. The blonde seemed to be contemplating something, and Yuugi didn't think he wanted to know what. Whenever Malik had such a blank look on his face, it meant an outburst of anger was to follow.

"You got hit by an attack and falling debris?" Yuugi mentally winced at the blank tone but nodded, wincing openly at the strong jolts of pain shooting through him. Malik's expression changed in an instant, a furious look on his features and his fists clenching in an effort to control himself.

"How stupid do you think I am? These aren't wounds you get from that! These are serious injuries and you won't fucking tell me what's going on? You're always running off without telling us where you're going. You always seem to have some bruise or cut, and you _never_ tell us what's going on! For once don't lie to me and tell me what happened!"

There was silence after Malik's outburst, Yuugi having closed his eyes, unwilling to open them. He heard more footsteps and glanced behind Malik to see both Jou and Ryou running into the alley, eyes wide after having heard Malik yelling. Jou's eyes widened further as Ryou blushed somewhat at his friend's naked state. Both showed worry though, glancing nervously between Yuugi and Malik.

"Well!?" Yuugi looked back at Malik, knowing that if he didn't tell the other the truth this time, that would be it. Malik had a limit to the amount of lies he could bear and he'd reached that limit. One more and the other would walk off. On top of that, the other was very good at keeping grudges for a very long time.

"I," Yuugi closed his eyes again and turned his face to the ground, holding back more tears as he spoke his next words. "I can't tell you."

There was silence once more before Yuugi heard Malik turning around. With the little range of sense he still had he could clearly feel the furious aura. He'd made his choice though. He'd rather lose his friends, than possibly endanger them. No one was to know who Hikari was, and that self-made promise was about to cost him at least one, and possibly more friends.

"Fine then. If you can't trust your own friends then why should I trust you? I don't want someone like that around me." Yuugi glanced up to see Malik walking out of the alley, the furious look on his face only having increased. He looked at the two teens still standing in front of him, sensing a similar anger and disappointment coming from the two, though in much lesser degrees. Jou gave him a long look, regret shining in his eyes as he turned around and slowly followed Malik. The only to stay was Ryou, the teen letting out a deep sigh before coming closer.

"I don't know why you refuse to tell us what's going on, but I can't just leave you here in this state." From the somewhat reluctant tone, Yuugi could clearly hear he was far from forgiven and that Ryou was just as upset as the other two. Ryou plainly wasn't the type to leave someone that was hurt. Yuugi thanked every God he knew for this, even if he knew Ryou would probably go away after he was okay again. He needed help right now though, since even standing up had taken him so long. He didn't even want to know how long it would take him to get home.

"I'm sorry, I just…" Ryou held up a hand and shook his hand, before gently taking his arm to support him as they started to walk towards Yuugi's house.

"You've already said you won't tell. I don't know why and quite frankly, it hurts me that you won't trust us enough to tell us. Right now though, you need someone to take care of you before you get infected or die." The white-haired teen sighed and glanced aside. Yuugi avoided the other's searching gaze.

A long silence fzell as the two continued on, Yuugi struggling to keep going while ignoring the pain shooting through his body as Ryou kept throwing occasional glances aside. After a while another sigh escaped the pale teen's mouth.

"Yuugi, can you just promise me one thing?"

Yuugi nervously glanced aside, unsure if promising anything right now in the current situation was a good idea. "What kind of promise?"

"Whatever you won't tell us, you're getting hurt because of it. If… if it gets any worse, please promise me you'll talk to me?" Ryou gave him a pleading look, more worry showing in his eyes. Yuugi looked down at the ground, staying silent for a moment.

The war was obviously getting worse each day, and he was bound to get hurt again. Getting hurt to this degree might've never happened before, but he was sure it wouldn't be the last time. If he promised Ryou this, it would probably bring problems with it in the future. On the other hand, this was probably the only way to keep at least one of his friends. If he didn't say yes to this, even Ryou would probably think he didn't trust them and would give up on their friendship. This had been a problem Yuugi had been afraid of facing ever since his days as Hikari began, but it seemed he had to face it now. He needed to make a choice. Letting out a sigh and looking back up at his friend, he gave his answer.

"I promise."

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... Okay, yes that was mean but it had to be done. Why? Simply because A) I felt like it and B) this was just bound to happen. Yuugi's been keeping this from Jou, Malik and ryou for about a year now so yeah. Malik and Jou just picked a crappy time to snap. Life goes righ? Yup, thought so too. Now, Review people!**


	4. Chapter 3: Regrets

**Alrighty then! Saturday once more so here's the next chapter! I see that surprising amount of people like this fic – seriously, I keep being stunned at the amount of reviews I get, keep that up! – so I guess I'm doing this right XD Hope you all have fun and R&R!**

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--: 03 :--**  
Regrets**

A week passed by before the shadow magic inside of Yuugi was strong enough again to start healing him. It only took another day for him to be back on his feet after that. Yuugi only now realized how much that magic had always helped him to heal after an attack, and had never appreciated it more.

Ryou had watched in amazement as Yuugi had healed most of his wounds in only one day, while the week before he had shown slow progress. When he questioned it though, Yuugi had merely looked down to his feet, unwilling to speak. Ryou had sighed before walking into the kitchen to get some food for the two of them. Yuugi knew the other had been disappointed again, but he simply couldn't tell.

He hadn't seen Malik or Jou. Ryou hadn't mentioned them, and Yuugi was too afraid to ask about them. Now that he was back on his feet though, he'd have to face them again. He wasn't sure if Ryou would continue to hang around with him, but he prayed that the other would. He didn't want to be alone without any friends around him. If that happened, he might just take Atemu up on his offer to live in the palace. He was sure he could learn to live as a full-time lion.

Though he hadn't seen Atemu yet either. He wasn't sure if that invitation still counted after he'd run away like that.

The evening after his miraculous healing, Yuugi glanced out to the streets to check if no one was around, before sighing and walking to his room. He needed to go see Atemu and try to explain. Maybe after a week the other had cooled off enough to listen to him calmly. Not likely, but one could hope.

Magic swirled around him once more as his lion form appeared, no more wounds anywhere to be seen. Besides a slight sore feeling, Hikari felt fine again. Glancing outside once more, he quickly ran into the streets and in the direction of the palace. It wasn't too late yet so Atemu would still be awake, though somewhere deep down Hikari was praying he would be sleeping.

Within minutes he arrived at the palace, reluctantly walking through the halls at a much slower pace than he usually would. People looked at him curiously and greeted him, but none managed to get a reply from him. As he reached the throne room, he could see Atemu talking with his priests, a frustrated look on his face. Great, he'd picked a day where Atemu was already annoyed.

Not wanting to interrupt the meeting obviously in progress, Hikari rushed to Atemu's room to wait for him there. The other came up far too quickly for his liking, even if he had been waiting for an hour already.

"Hikari!" The lion turned away from the window he'd been looking through at hearing the surprised call of his name. He smiled hesitantly, but it faded as he saw the annoyed look replacing the surprised one.

"For Ra's sake, where have you been?! I've been worried sick about you! I thought you might've died!"' Hikari flinched, averting his gaze to the ground. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

_/ I was home, healing. I would've come sooner but my wounds have only just healed. /_ The annoyed aura did not change.

"That's why I wanted to bring you here. If you would've just let me take you here you would've probably been healed faster. I spend the entire _day_ trying to track you down after you ran off but no sign of you. Do you just want to worry me to death or something?" Yuugi looked up sharply, a slight glare on his features now.

_/ Of course I don't, but I barely had any energy left. If you would've taken me to the palace, I would've transformed back on the way and- /_

"Is your secret worth more than your life now?!"

_/ I knew I could heal on my own so I di__dn't need any special care from here/_

The two stared at each other harshly, neither wanting to give in or accept what the other had said. Atemu turned away first, walking over to the window and grabbed the stone frame tightly.

"I know you want to keep your secret safe to make sure no one can ever used it against you, but if you get hurt like that you need help. You know your secret is safe with me, and unlikely to be forced out of me by any means." He turned to look at his friend. "Please, let me help next time. If it's not necessary I don't mind that you keep your real identity a secret, but when it comes to situations like that-"

_/ I can handle myself, Atemu. I've been through a lot, and I know how to take care of myself. Stop worrying about me._

Atemu groaned and rubbed his temple, a headache starting to spread fast. "You're asking me not to worry when the person I consider my best friend is hurt?!" Harsh crimson eyes opened again and Hikari suddenly understood why so many people shrunk away from the other's stare when he got angry, "impossible."

_/ Don't you trust me? Do you think I'm too weak to take care of myself or something/_ Hikari glared back, refusing to falter under the other's stare like so many others did.

"I trust you with my life! I just don't want you to get hurt!" There was silence as the two continued to look at each other, the expression on neither of their faces changing until Hikari finally stood up from where he'd been lying, turning his back on Atemu and starting to walk away.

_/ I'm going home, I'll see you later. /_ Atemu twitched at the annoyed spoken words, his own annoyance rising again at the stubbornness of his friend.

"Fine, don't _trip_ on your way out." Hikari's aura flared at the comment but he didn't respond. He continued to walk out of the room, starting to run as soon as he was out of sight. Only after he'd reached his own house and had transformed back did he realize fully what had just happened. Now not only had he lost his friends from his human life, but he'd even managed to anger Atemu.

He sat down on his bed, feeling strangely blank about everything that had happened over the last week. In just one week's time he'd lost everyone he cared for, and only to protect the identity of Hikari so no one could ever threaten his friends with it.

Back in the palace, Atemu sat down on his bed with his head in his hands, his eyes closed as he too realized what had just happened. He'd possibly lost the most important person to him, the one he trusted most, just because his temper had gotten the better of him. He knew Hikari did everything to keep his identity a secret, and he supposed that Hikari really did know how to take care of himself. But wasn't he allowed to worry?

Letting out a sigh the Pharaoh got up to get ready for bed. He'd had a long day with the return of his cousin and the long reports he'd gotten now. Seth had apparently made sure to end up in a nearby town when he'd send the last letter, so it hadn't taken him long to return. The long report didn't bring any good news either though, only more bad news. So far the only good thing was the fact that Mariku and Bakura hadn't attacked in the time Hikari had needed to heal. Of course, this could just mean they were planning something.

With a heavy heart, both Atemu and Yuugi went to bed that night, each mulling over their problems and trying to come up with a solution that was within reason for their standards.

* * *

Ra's early rays shone brightly into Yuugi's face, the teen groaning and turned away from the prying light, the back of his mind trying to keep a hold and the unconscious state he was sure to lose no matter what.

With more groaning and a sigh of defeat as the light simply kept creeping more and more over him, Yuugi opened his eyes and sat up, briefly glaring at the window the intruding rays had come through as if it was to blame, before once more sighing and getting up.

His mind had not missed the chance to already remind him of everything that had been going on. All his friends, including Atemu were mad at him, and only because of his secret. It was all the fault of Aknunkanon; he had been the one to cause the transformation he now possessed. On the other hand, it was also the reason why he'd become so close to Atemu in the first place.

Not that it mattered a lot now; Atemu was a stubborn person and it would take a while before the other would get over their fight.

For a moment he considered giving up his identity as Hikari, trying to win his friends back and forgetting about Atemu. The idea vanished about as fast as it had entered his mind. Not only would Atemu probably lose the war in that case, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up. Hikari had been a part of him far too long and his instinct to help others had developed greatly with that part. He'd never be able to ignore all the people around him that needed help.

On top of that, he didn't want to lose Atemu. Even if they were in a fight right now, Yuugi knew there was a way to make up. Atemu meant too much to him to simply give up because things had become harder.

Shaking his head, he also discarded the second idea that came to him. He couldn't tell his friends who he was, it was simply too dangerous.  
Sighing again and mentally making a note that he needed to stop doing so, Yuugi dressed quickly and walked out of the house, deciding to walk around town since he didn't really have anything better to do. Since his friends had stopped hanging around with him – Ryou excluded, though even he didn't come around that much – he was sure he'd be doing a lot of this. The only good thing that would probably come from it was that he would know the town even better than before, which could possibly help him at one point or another.

Making sure to stay away from the town square where Malik, Jou and Ryou would undoubtedly either be or show up later, Yuugi made his way through the many alleyways, trying to find new ones that he'd never seen before. He'd walked around for almost an hour when he noticed that he'd reached the outskirt of the city where he'd played hide-and-seek all those years ago, the day he'd gained the power to transform into Hikari.

His mind flashing back to that day, Yuugi was barely in time to hear three all-too familiar voices. He snapped out of his trance just as he almost stepped out of the shadows of the alley he'd been walking through, his eyes locking onto his three friends sitting a little further, near a couple of trees that provided them with shade. Yuugi couldn't hear what they were talking about, he only caught the sound of laughter and vague voices, but it was obvious that they were having fun.

Fun without him.

He clenched his hands, his eyes closing as tears made their way down his face. Somewhere deep down he'd hoped his friends would've missed him. Missed him so much they'd maybe come back to at least talk to him. Seeing them laughing like nothing was wrong had just crushed that hope so fast Yuugi wondered if it had actually ever been there.

"I guess…" he looked away, planning to walk away and maybe go train somewhere to get his mind away from all this, "they don't even miss me."

* * *

Jou shook his head, trying to stop laughing while holding his stomach since it had started to hurt. When he finally managed to calm down, he gave a sad smile towards the other two sitting next to him. "Dose were really good days. I can't believe Yuug did dat back den."

Malik chuckled, the same expression appearing on his face; "Yeah, we really had a lot of fun with Yuugi…" he trailed off, averting his gaze to the sky and sighing, "Maybe we shouldn't have been so harsh on him. I mean, he's always had a reason for everything he does so he's bound to have one for this as well."

Ryou smiled at the two, "I've been saying that for a week. Why is it that you never listen to me but need to figure it out on your own?" Malik huffed and sulked, Jou looked sheepishly at his white-haired friend.

"We're just stubborn like dat." Jou shrugged before frowning slightly, "Dough I do really wanna know what Yuug's hiding from us. It can't be anythin' good if he's gettin' hurt like dat."

Malik nodded, a thoughtful look passing over his face, "Hasn't he said anything to you?" he glanced over at Ryou with a questioning look. The strangely pale boy shook his head, a frown also coming onto his face.

"No, he hasn't. He promised me that if it gets any worse he will tell us. I don't know if he's going to keep that promise, but Yuugi isn't one to lie – mostly, anyway - so I'm going to trust him on that one."

Both blondes nodded, before Malik suddenly grinned, "Well we know it usually happens around the times there are also attacks. Next time, we just have to keep a really close eye on him and we'll probably get to see what his big secret is."

Ryou hesitated for a moment, "Do you think that's a good idea? I mean…"

Jou didn't even pay attention to his friend's protest, "Dat's a great idea! Dat way we can figure out what's goin' on without havin' ta fight anymore!"

Before Ryou could even say anything, both blondes had jumped up and were running into town, obviously wanting to get to their friend to make up and put their plan into action. Mariku and Bakura hadn't attacked anywhere for an entire week already so it wouldn't last much longer, they were sure of that. Since their town was attacked so regularly, the peace and quiet would no doubt be gone within the next few days.

With a sigh of defeat, Ryou got up and followed his friends, glad that them missed Yuugi enough to make up, but not sure if he liked where their latest plan would get them.

* * *

Boredom was the worst thing ever.

After getting too bored to continue training, Yuugi had walked over to the town square since he knew his friends were at the outskirts of town. He had talked to some of the merchants he knew, but now he was simply bored again. He'd never realized how boring the town he lived in could be without his friends.

Sighing, he stubbornly ignoring the mental note that he'd made about stopping that before it became a habit. He didn't quite care right now whether or not it became a habit or not, he cared more about somehow solving his boredom.

Glancing around in a desperate desire for something to do, Yuugi blinked as he noticed Malik and Jou running out of an alley, looking around frantically as if looking for something. Yuugi stood up immediately, turning away and starting off in the opposite direction. He was about to turn into one of the streets and out of sight of the square when he suddenly heard his name being called from behind. He hesitantly turned around, an unsure look in his eyes as he saw Malik and Jou running at him. There were no glares on the blondes' faces so Yuugi guessed they weren't there to beat him up.

"Yuug! Wait up!" The two blondes stopped in front of him, Ryou coming up behind them. Yuugi relaxed somewhat, knowing that the only one who probably still believed in him somewhat was present as well. Knowing Ryou, he would never let the other two beat him up.

An awkward silence fell as they all just stared at each other, none sure what to say in this situation. They hadn't seen each other in a while and they hadn't exactly left on the best of terms. Yuugi shifted uncomfortably on his spot, averting his gaze to the ground and biting his lip nervously.

"So.. err.." Jou glanced around him, a nervous tone in his voice too. "You all better?"

Yuugi nodded, not looking up, "I'm a fast healer." A bit too fast and he was sure the two standing in front of him were wondering how exactly he'd recovered so fast. His wounds had been serious, they'd seen it themselves.

"Dat's good ta see." Yuugi glanced up to see Jou smiling at him, the same nervousness he was feeling creeping into the blonde's expression.

Another silence fell until Malik sighed in annoyance. "Okay, we can stand here all day being awkward or we can just get straight to it. We miss you, and although we still want to know what you're hiding from us, we figure you have a good reason for keeping it from us. Can we please forget our fight?" Yuugi looked up properly with wide eyes. He'd just seen them at the edge of the town, having fun like nothing had happened, and now they said they missed him?

"But... I saw you guys. You were laughing and having fun and…" he trailed off, giving a questioning look. Malik raised an eyebrow, for a moment thinking about what had just been said, before realizing what Yuugi was talking about.

"Oh, you mean a while ago? We were talking about all the fun we used to have and all the times you did crazy things to entertain us. You were always damned agile so you could always pull off really crazy stunts without getting a scratch on you." He grinned for a moment, remembering one of the many times Yuugi had tried one of those crazy stunts.

Yuugi blinked before slowly smiling. His friends weren't laughing without him in a way since they'd been recalling things they'd done in the past. And they really wanted to make up even if they knew that Yuugi wouldn't tell them what his secret was.

"You realize I still can't say why I got hurt so badly, right?" A searching look flashed over both Malik and Jou's faces as if they were trying to figure out what Yuugi's secret was, before both sighed.

"Yeah, we know. We just miss ya so we'll deal with it." Jou grinned, "Dat, or we'll figure it out by ourselves somehow."

Yuugi smiled brightly and chuckled mentally at the thought of his friends trying to figure out where he went all the time. He'd never opposed to Atemu trying to figure this out, so he had no right to deny it to his friends, even though it might be harder to get away from them during attacks.

"Sure, good luck with that." The group of friends laughed before heading back to the market on the square to have some fun for the rest of the day. Yuugi had never been so happy to just be around the three other teens as now, and could only hope they would keep their word and wouldn't get angry the next time he ran off without reason.

**

* * *

Yeah, yeah. Nothing much happened in this chap but hey, I need easy-going chapters as well. The amount of attacks that come in the first say, 7 chapters or so is high enough as it is so I'm need chapters where nothing happens. Well, hope everyone had fun anyway and Review folks!**


	5. Chapter 4: In The Open

**Wow, you people all seem so eager to let Atemu figure out who Hikari is? Bad news people, not happening for a while yet I'm having way too much fun keeping it from him. Ain't I nice? No? Good, wasn't aiming for it.  
Well anyway, onwards to the next chapter I guess! Hope you all like and of as usual, R&R!

* * *

**

--: 04 :--**  
****In The Open**

'_Why can't anything last forever?__'_ Yuugi ran as fast as he could to get to where loud explosions could be heard. People screamed around him, trying to run in the opposite direction to get away from the attack. Yuugi mentally cursed every one of those people for slowing him down. He had yet to transform into Hikari, so no one was even paying the slightest bit of attention to him.

He had managed to lose his friends in the large mass of people, but he had a feeling they would come looking for him very soon. With everything that had happened during the last attack, they would most likely suspect something to happen during this one as well.

He cursed once more as he was pushed aside by the many people, deciding he needed a new way. He quickly entered one of the alleys, easily jumping onto the room of one of the buildings with the extra power and agility he possessed even outside of his transformation. Taking a deep breath, he started running once more, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until he'd finally reached the main square.

There were Mariku and Bakura, laughing as they fought Atemu. Atemu was outmatched by the two of them by far, the thief and assassin having learned the meaning of actual teamwork after their last encounter. Yuugi gritted his teeth as he saw his friend being blasted backwards, a pained cry being torn from his lips.

"Yuugi! What the hell are you doing?!" Eyes widening, Yuugi turned around, stopping the transformation he'd just wanted to start. There, running at him through the many alleys were Malik, Jou and Ryou, all eyes fixed on him in wonder and question. They'd probably taken the route through the alleys, not bothering trying to get through the masses, and therefore getting here quite a bit faster than he had. They'd most likely expected to find him in the danger zone after last time.

"Damnit, get out of here!" None of his friends slowed down, running until they were right below the building he was standing on top of. They didn't seem to plan on leaving until he'd explained what he was doing there. They probably wouldn't even leave after that until he went with them.

Another pained cry tore his attention back to the battle behind him. He bit his lip as he saw Atemu barely managing to dodge a shadow ball - Mariku was the one hit this time. He needed to help Atemu or he'd be in great danger, but how could he transform without his friends noticing?

"Where's your pet cat huh? Don't tell me you two finally got into a fight and he left you?" a brief flash of hurt shot through Atemu's features before hiding itself again, but Yuugi had noticed it. Atemu really did think he'd left and had no intention of coming to help because of their fight.

"Yuug! C'mon down!" Glancing one more time at his friends below and then back at Atemu, Yuugi took a deep breath and focussed his shadow magic. His secret was important to him, but not nearly as important as Atemu and this war were. If his friends had to find out who he really was so he could save Atemu now, then so be it. He didn't like the idea one bit, but this there really didn't seem to be another choice.

He quickly let the sash keeping his clothes in place loose, the clothes dropping to the roof he was standing on. Shadow magic enveloped him as his body changed, fur growing and his body realigning to suit its new form. Hikari ignored the gasps of shock he heard as he opened his eyes after the transformation had ended. He had no time to waste on the shock of his friends right now, Atemu needed him.

With a loud roar he jumped in front of a nearly exhausted Atemu, firing a shadow ball himself to cancel out the attack Bakura had just sent his way. He could feel the Pharaoh behind him tense in surprise at his sudden arrival, before he sensed a great amount of relief in the other's aura. No anger was anywhere near the other, none aimed at him in any case. Hikari smiled lightly.

"Hikari…" A hand was placed on his back gently and Hikari glanced backwards to see a smile on his friend's face. Without letting his guard down for attacks he quickly stepped back and nuzzled the hand.

_/ Oh come on, I would never leave you alone. What kind of person do you think I am/_ Another grateful smile before both turned back to the two now cursing males before them.

"Damned cat. Why do these two always show up to help the other at just the right time?" Mariku shrugged at his partner's question, before taking aim again, grinning wildly. He quite enjoyed the fights, even if there never seemed to be an obvious winner for the war in it. As long as he could just keep on going like this, he was quite fine.

"I don't know and I don't care, let's just kill them!" Hikari smirked cockily at the two.

_/ We'll see about that_

Balls and beams of shadow magic flew through the air, aiming to do more than just damage. Hikari easily dodged, leaping forward and tackling Bakura to the ground. Mariku quickly fired a beam at him so he had to leap off the white-haired thief, only to be hit by a beam of shadow magic himself as Atemu fired.

With Bakura and Mariku both tired from already fighting with Atemu, Hikari easily overpowered them with his speed and strength. The fight continued until Bakura and Mariku were forced back to the outskirts of town. Hikari glanced quickly at Atemu to make sure that the other was still alright; grimacing as he noted that the other had near to no shadow magic left and was panting heavily. He was sure the other needed rest and fast, but wouldn't do so until Mariku and Bakura either got away or were beaten. Beating the two seemed possible for once, but Hikari had been sensing a strange kind of shadow magic gathering below the two and doubted it meant anything good.

Just as Hikari was about to leap forward to give a possibly finishing blow to Mariku, the earth below the thief and assassin covered itself with dark shadows that seemed to come out of nowhere. The lion stopped immediately, staring in shock as both Bakura and Mariku's eyes blanked as if possessed for a short moment, before being swallowed by the shadows and disappearing.

Atemu walked up to his friend, staring in just as much shock at the place the other two had just vacated, "Well, that was new."

Hikari nodded numbly before turning his head to the other and surveying the wounds and bruises covering the other's body. He gave a slight smirk, _/ Look who's hurt now huh? Am I allowed to tell you to be more careful now/_ Atemu winced slightly at the reminder of their last conversation and sighed, kneeling down and running his hands through the blonde manes of the lion in front of him.

"I suppose so, though I might respond in a similar manner that you did." He gave a smile and chuckled, "I was that bad huh?"

Hikari nuzzled Atemu's hand as a sign of peace, before glancing over to where he could sense his friends standing. If he looked hard enough, he could see three sets of eyes glued to his form just from the shadows of some now completely destroyed houses. He mentally grimaced at the idea of them now knowing who he really was, but quickly focused his attention back to Atemu before the Pharaoh could notice he was staring at something.

_/ Let's say neither of us ever start a conversation like that again__, and call it quits. I don't really feel like fighting with you. /_ Hikari gave a smile before once more glancing over the other's body, _/ But I am taking you back to the palace. You're in no state to be riding a horse, let alone walk. /_ Atemu chuckled again before nodding, knowing the other was most likely right and not having the energy at the moment to argue. He easily sat down on Hikari's back like they'd done so often already as the lion's muscles tensed under him, and they raced off.

* * *

"No. Way." Malik stared as Yuugi, before their very eyes, transformed into Hikari, the lion that had been protecting their town for quite some time now. The lion jumped off the building and quickly joined the Pharaoh in battle. Malik could do nothing but stare, no other words leaving his mouth. It was one of the few times he had ever been speechless to a point where even his mind had difficulty functioning properly. 

"His wounds… Hikari was badly injured during that last fight and so was Yuugi. Why didn't we see it?" Ryou had a similar wide-eyed look on his face, shock beaming from his very aura.

"Well who'd have thought dat Yuug'd be," Jou paused in his sentence, rethinking what he'd been about to say. A lot of things about Yuugi made sense like this. His athletic ability, his mysterious disappearances, his never-ending faith that their new Pharaoh would be a good king and not at all like the old ruler – after all, everyone knew that Pharaoh Atemu and Hikari were close friends.

"You think the Pharaoh knows who he really is?" Malik had finally snapped out of his shock and was now staring in wonder at the fight, his eyes following every movement that was being made. "Damn, they're heading for the edge of the city. We have to follow them!"

"Are you mad?" Jou looked at him in horror, "Usually when dere's an attack we run, not try ta stay as close as possible!"

"Well up until now we didn't know our best friend was the one fighting." Malik gave an annoyed look, "We have to follow so we can make sure he's okay!"

"It's not like we can help if he does get hurt. It seems the Pharaoh is the only one that can do that right now." Ryou curiously looked at the manner of teamwork the Pharaoh and Yuugi displayed; amazed that it seemed so perfect even if their ruler was hurt quite a bit.

"Well I still want to know! I'm going after them; you two do what you want!" And with that, Malik was gone; running in the direction that the four fighting men – or rather three men and lion – had gone. Ryou and Jou glanced at each other briefly, silently considering what to do next, before simultaneously bolting after their friend. After all, they did want to know what would happen to Yuugi. And even if they couldn't really help, they would jump into the fight if there was any danger of Yuugi getting killed.

They crept around the rubble of the destroyed houses, following the fight while staying out of sight. They reached the outskirts of the city in near to no time, all three impressed at how easy Yuugi and Atemu made it seem to force the other two back. Hiding behind the remains of a destroyed house, they kept watching in awe as the fight continued, until Bakura and Mariku suddenly seemed to disappear into nothingness.

"What the…?" Malik's shock returned, "Where did they just go?! Yuugi almost had them!"

Jou and Ryou stayed silent, neither knowing the answer and much more inclined to just continue watching the place the fight had just stopped.

"What do you think dey're talkin' about? And why's Yuug lettin' dat guy pat him like he's some kinda pet?" Jou scowled, feeling insulted for his friend that he was being treated like nothing more than a mere pet of no real importance.

Ryou merely rolled his eyes in slight exasperation, "They're too far away so I don't know what they're talking about. As for the patting, I'm sure that it's not meant to be insulting. If you hadn't noticed, those two are good friends." He gave Jou a reprimanding look that looked quite a bit more cute than it was meant.

"Well it does explain why Yuugi was always defending the Pharaoh when we talked about him. He didn't much like the old one though, wonder why this guy's so different."

Jou and Ryou shrugged, Jou still with a scowl on his face and Ryou with a mere curious expression. Jou's scowl only deepened more as Atemu climbed on Hikari's back before the lion took off towards the palace at top speed.

"What is he, a horse?! Dis is ridiculous!" Malik frowned as well but Ryou just shrugged his shoulders, stretching and glancing in the direction his friend had just taken off in.

"The Pharaoh was hurt, maybe Yuugi just wanted to make sure he got to the palace safe and sound. I really think you two are exaggerating this whole thing. If Yuugi defends him so fiercely, I'm pretty sure the Pharaoh treats him well." It was a habit of his to always try and see things from the other's point of view. Drawing conclusions without knowing all the facts was pointless in his opinion, and that often made him a neutral party in arguments. Of course, this didn't always make him the most popular person around, but it was simply in his nature. He couldn't help it.

Malik just scowled, crossing his arms, "You don't know that. No one knows anything about Hikari and barely anything about the relationship between him and the Pharaoh." He sighed, "Well, let's just wait until he gets back and let him explain this."

Ryou nodded. Jou glared in the direction Hikari and Atemu had taken off in, before grumbling what vaguely sounded as his consent and starting to walk away, most likely back to the town square to wait for his friend there, all the while staying in a bad mood.

Malik and Ryou glanced at each other before following, both hoping very hard that no one would get in Jou's way or the blonde might vent his current frustration in a very aggressive way.

* * *

'_I can do this. They won't kill me. They'll just… be angry most likely. Jou will probably _want_ to kill me but Ryou will stop him. Malik will glare and rant, and then I'll get a chance to explain and… I'm so dead.' _Yuugi sighed as he slowly entered the town square, spotting all three of his friends sitting there as the only people. Jou was glaring, Ryou and Malik were talking. Sadly, Jou was the first to spot him. 

"_You_!" Jou leaped up and rushed over to Yuugi, the younger teen taking a few nervous steps back at the angry face his friend displayed. Ryou and Malik followed not far behind the blonde, Malik's face divided in the anger Jou displayed and the concern Ryou was showing.

Yuugi smiled nervously up at his three friends, mentally wincing at Jou and Malik's faces. "Hey guys," his voice was soft and mirrored the nervousness he felt.

"_Dat's_ what you've been keepin' from us?! You're da freakin' hero of dis country and ya didn't think ta tell us?!" Jou threw his hands into the air in a form of desperation, "Why for Ra's sake would you keep somethin' like dis from us?!"

Ryou tried to shush the ranting blonde but Jou just ignored him, his eyes staying focused on Yuugi in expectance. The younger teen averted his gaze, his eyes closing as he spoke, "If I'd told you and someone had found that out, you would've been caught so Bakura and Mariku could find out who Hikari really is. If it had somehow leaked out who I actually am you would've been caught to blackmail me into surrendering." His eyes opened as he gave all three a meaningful look, "Every time I go out there I risk my life to help Atemu. I couldn't risk yours as well."

Jou's mouth opened to say something but closed again without any sound coming out. For a moment he stared at his friend, inwardly calming down as he took in the reasoning Yuugi had used, before sighing and turning his gaze to the ground in shame.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." Yuugi glanced at his other two friends to see Malik's face melting completely into concern and Ryou's face only deepening with it. He let out a sigh and walked over to one of the stone benches, expecting a long talk and so getting as comfortable as he could for the time being.

"So…" Malik sat down next to him, "How did you even become Hikari? I mean, I'm pretty sure you didn't just randomly wake up one day to find out you could turn into a lion with magical powers." Yuugi smiled wryly at that, remembering just how exactly he'd become Hikari.

"Remember all those years ago that you guys found me in the desert with a dead lion on top of me and that I was barely alive?" At the nod of all three of his friends, Yuugi continued, "Well I lied when I said I didn't know what happened at that moment. I remember exactly…"

Yuugi took a deep breath before starting the story, "I hid behind a rock because we were playing hide and seek, and accidentally overheard Pharaoh Aknunkanon make a deal with some cloaked guy about killing the rebels. After the cloaked guy left I was found out, and Pharaoh Aknunkanon wanted to kill me. His son, Atemu, saved my life at that moment by stopping his father. I ran away, but I the lion that had been roaming Egypt suddenly appeared in front of me."

Yuugi glanced up to see his friends practically glued to his lips. He smiled a little before continuing. "Pharaoh Aknunkanon caught up to me and just when the lion attacked me, he fired a beam of Shadow Magic. It hit just as the lion reached me. I don't know exactly how it happens, but somehow that beam of Shadow Magic fused me and the lion to a certain point, as well as giving me Shadow Powers. It's why I heal much faster than anyone else."

Ryou's eyes widened, "So that's why you suddenly healed so fast from all those wounds!"

Yuugi nodded, "Yeah, it didn't work before that because I'd completely used up my Shadow Magic in my fight with Bakura and Mariku. Atemu would've taken me to the palace for a treatment but since I was about to transform back… I couldn't take that chance. Atemu can't know who I really am either."

Jou scowled a little, "I bet he'd have more respect for ya if he knew who you really were." More was muttered under the blonde's breath and Yuugi doubted the dark tone predicted anything good. He frowned at the words. Not only did he think the complete opposite of what Jou had just said, but he couldn't imagine why Jou would think that the other didn't have respect for him now.

"Atemu has respect for me, what would make you think he doesn't?" He cocked his head, looking from one friend to the other. Jou continued to mutter darkly under his breath, unwilling to answer the question. Malik rolled his eyes.

"He rode on your back and acted somewhat like you were some kind of pet. Jou might be exaggerating but I do agree to a lesser degree…" Malik gave him an apologetic look. "I get that you owe him for saving your life when we were kids and that's why you're so determined to help him, but isn't that going a bit too far?"

Yuugi gave him a strange look before shaking his head as he chuckled lightly, "Atemu has more respect for me than you guys do, probably. I told him to ride on my back because he was hurt and couldn't get back to the palace on his own." He smiled, his mind wandering to the person who had somehow managed to become a better friend to him than the three sitting around him right now, "I started helping him because he saved me that day, but now I do it because he's my friend. I'd do anything for him."

Ryou stared at him for a second, Yuugi giving the white-haired boy a curious look at such an intense stare, before Ryou's face turned knowing. "You like him."

Yuugi's eyes widened, a flush coming up as he tried to stutter out a denial, "I don't- I mean, he's my friend and- uhm…" He flushed even more as both Malik and Jou stared at him, both with an evil glint in their eyes. _'Shit.'_

Malik smirked at him, "Aw, little Yuugi's in love with the big Pharaoh! How cute." Jou snickered, his earlier opinion apparently forgotten after being reassured that Atemu didn't think lowly of his friend.

Yuugi just groaned and hid his face in his hands, "Stop guys, _please_." Jou and Malik just laughed, Ryou smiling in amusement at him. Yuugi groaned again, wishing he'd never spoken of Atemu. Well, at least his friends now knew everything that he'd tried to keep hidden in his life.

His friends' laughter increased the more he tried to duck away, _'A bit too much probably.'_

_

* * *

_**There, I've been nice! Jou, Malik and Ryou now know who Hikari really is! At least you all got part of what you wanted . Well, hope you enjoyed it and cya next week! Review!**


	6. Chapter 5: New, Improved, Yet Still The

**Aliright people, yet again an early update cuz I'm going to see the musical _Tarzan_ tonight and I doubt I'll feel a lot like updating when I get back home from that late. I doubt you'll mind much XD Thus, here is the new chapter, so enjoy! R&R!

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**

--: 05 :--**  
****New, Improved, Yet Still The Same**

Atemu twitched slightly, his face set in a scowl. He was sitting in the large meeting room, listening as his cousin give a more detailed report of his findings. He'd already gone through hours of arranging people to start rebuilding the nearby city of the latest attack. Many of his priests wondered why he kept trying so hard to keep the city intact when it was a well-known fact that Bakura and Mariku would attack and demolish it as soon as it was rebuild again. Atemu had his reasons though.

For one, he needed to gain the trust of the people. Most assumed he'd be as bad as his father - Seth's report only confirmed this – and leaving a city that needed help in rubble was not a way to gain the trust he wanted.

For two, he had a nagging suspicion his friend, Hikari lived there. Whenever there was an attack, Hikari was always faster at the scene when it was in the nearby town than anywhere else. It could be a coincidence, but it still seemed to fit too much for that.

Lastly, and definitely the most important reason of all, it simply wasn't in him to turn down people who needed his help. One of the things from his childhood that he could remember was his mother telling him how important it was to always be kind to people. She had died when he was only 8 from a disease no one had been able to cure, but he had always remembered her words and how much people loved her for her gentle ways and kind heart. No matter what his father had tried to drone into his head, he would never forget that, and he would always take those words to heart.

He bowed his head in thought as Seth ended his report, mulling over all the information his cousin had given him and letting a groan pass his lips. It seemed no matter what he did, nothing helped.

"Pharaoh, maybe it's time to give up on appeasing all the people of Egypt." Seth let out a sigh and shook his head, "I know you want nothing more than to be a good ruler to them, but they simply don't give you much of a chance to prove yourself."

Atemu grimaced and looked at his cousin, "I know, but I refuse to stop trying." He let out a wry chuckle, "Besides, most of what I do isn't just to please the people; it's actually what I would've done in any given situation."

"Like rebuilding towns that will only be attacked once more the minute they're done?" Seth raised an eyebrow, "You're using all the man power we have for tasks such as those when we need them to fight Mariku and Bakura."

"Seth is right, My Lord." Isis spoke from a bit further away at the table, concerned blue eyes looking at him intently, "If we wish to beat them, we mustn't waste our time."

Atemu, seeing multiple nods around the table, scowled, "It is not a waste of time, and I will not stop my efforts. I'd help rebuild those towns myself if you would give me the chance to slip away." He twitched, "Sadly though, you all keep a very close eye on me."

Seth smirked slightly, "That's because we know you. It's beneath a Pharaoh to do such labour, no matter how much you want to help. Sorry, Atemu. But your days of sneaking out of the palace ended when you took the throne."

A chuckle was heard from Mahaad, the priest remembering all the times he'd helped Atemu escape – together with Seth no less – but stopped when he saw the reprimanding look Shimon was giving him. Atemu just gave his old friend a smirk and ignored the look Shimon gave him completely.

"And that, my friends, is why I send out others to rebuild the towns in my place. Is there anything else?" He really wanted to try and get away from his council to try and sneak out behind their backs, even though he knew he would probably fail.

"One more thing." Isis spoke up, gaining an apprehensive look on her face, "A new princess has arrived to try and become your queen." Atemu frowned, not liking the news but Isis continued before he could utter a word, "It's Princess Teana, the girl who used to come to the palace when you were little."

Atemu's tanned skin paled dramatically, eyes widening slightly before he quickly looked imploringly at his cousin, "Please tell me I have a very busy schedule and I won't be able to spend time with her?"

Seth gave him an amused look, "You need to get married, Atemu. You can't rule alone forever. Your schedule permits you to spend time with her."

Atemu tried to resist the urge to bang his head on the table, the stone actually softly whispering to him to do so in his mind. He complied with the soft voices, regretting it instantly as a headache immediately formed. This was definitely not going to be a very good period for him.

Some of his priests looked at him curiously, never having met the princess in question and thus not understanding their Pharaoh's reaction, while Shimon, Seth and Mahaad gained amused looks.

"When will she be arriving?" Atemu asked weakly, raising his head from the table and rubbing his forehead.

"She arrived just before the meeting started. I assigned some servants to bring her to a room. You should probably go meet her." Isis mentally frowned at the reaction Atemu was giving. Since he'd become Pharaoh, Atemu had always been against marrying for the sake of having a queen and wanted to actually love the person he'd marry. He'd always been apprehensive when princesses came, but never had he shown such a drastic response, "Is something the matter, my Pharaoh?"

Atemu merely grunted in reply, not wanting to talk about his history with Teana. "I'm fine, was that all?"

There were nods and Atemu rose, letting out a long sigh, "Then I suppose I will go greet our guest." He grimaced at the last word but started out of the room and towards the guest chambers nonetheless. His plans for sneaking out had just been utterly crushed, and knowing Teana's vigilance, he wouldn't get a chance to leave any time soon.

When he'd still been little, Teana had often visited to play with him. She'd been one of his only friends since his father didn't permit that many others to come, and so he had always been quite happy when Teana had visited.

Of course, once he'd grown a bit older he'd quickly understood that it was just an excuse, and that his father really wanted them to get together. He'd obviously hoped it would be easier if they'd spend their childhood together a lot.

Sadly, Teana had caught on to this idea fast as well, and had enthusiastically started flirting with him, even if they were only around 10 at the time and he had no interest in her whatsoever. This had continued for another 6 years. At that time, Teana's father had fallen ill and she'd had to stay in Libya, her home country, for a long time.

Atemu wasn't quite sure what had happened to her after that. He knew her father had recovered after a year, but she hadn't returned after that. Now, a year after that, she suddenly came back? Before she'd started flirting with him they'd been good friends. She was annoying at times, but Atemu hadn't had much problems with that. Would she continue to flirt with him like the last 6 years of their time together, or could she have possibly gone back to the way she was before that had started happening? Two years could do a lot to people.

Reaching the guest chambers and asking a servant which of the rooms Teana was staying in, he approached the door and stopped, hesitant to knock and meet his childhood friend in case she was going to act like the last 6 years. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Atemu?" The door was opened and Teana beamed in happiness at him. For a split second Atemu thought he saw his old friend, before the girl's eyes gained a seductive look and Atemu's heart fell. She hadn't changed.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Teana threw herself at him and hugged him, "I've missed you so much over the past two years, but I couldn't leave before now because of my father's illness and after that he wanted to make sure I was ready to take the throne in case something really did happen to him." She smiled up at him, "But now we're together again."

Atemu resisted the urge to scowl and throw the girl off him. Instead, he gently pried her arms from his neck and took a step back, his stance reserved and not showing much emotion. "It's nice to see you again too; I hope your father is alright now."

Teana laughed a bit, waving the comment off and completely ignoring the aura of distance Atemu was trying to give off, "He's fine, he's just overreacting. I admit that I was scared that he might die when he first became ill, but he's as healthy as can be again so I'm not worried."

Atemu gave a curt nod, trying to think of something else he could say without seeming to eager to leave. It wouldn't be wise to offend Teana as Libya was a powerful country and a war would not be wise. "Good…" he trailed off, desperate to find something else to say.

"Why don't we go take a walk through the garden?" Not waiting for a response, Teana closer the door behind her and linked their arms, starting to move towards the garden, "It was always very beautiful there. I hope that hasn't changed yet."

Atemu shook his head in response, "No, I made sure it was kept in good condition even though my father didn't pay much attention to it." He tried to free his arm discreetly but Teana wouldn't let go.

"That's great. I remember how romantic it was there at night…" she gained a dreamy look and Atemu sighed dejectedly, an image of the upcoming days entering his mind.

He'd get up, have breakfast with Teana, deal with the problems his people brought forward, would spend time with Teana – forced on him – would deal with more problems, would _maybe_ be allowed to have dinner without first spending more time with Teana, though the dinner itself would once more be with the female, much more time with Teana after that, deal with his country some more, Teana, his country, Teana…

He cringed at the thought, and a very small voice his head hoped Mariku and Bakura would attack or that Hikari might visit just so he would have a change in the planning that would probably actually happen.

* * *

The day passed by like Atemu had imagined to his great displeasure. At the end of the day he was very happy to throw himself onto his bed face down and not move for at least five minutes to calm down after everything he'd gone through. 

The walk through the garden hadn't been too bad until they'd come to one of their favorite hiding spots when they'd only been kids. Suffice to say, Teana had tried to seduce him and had Seth not come to look for him, she probably would've managed to at least kiss him. That would've in turn led to a very big fight no doubt since Atemu still had no interest in her and would've pushed her away.

After being saved by his cousin, Atemu had dealt with the many problems going around in Egypt. He didn't mind this part much, as he liked helping people who needed it. Sadly though, Teana had insisted on staying with him and had tried many times to decide what would happen instead of Atemu. This had lead to another near-fight, and Atemu was oh-so thankful that Isis had come to retrieve Teana for some 'girl-time'.

The day had dragged on and by the time dinner came around, Teana was back and fully intended to once more do everything to seduce him. This had continued all the way until he'd finally escaped her for bed.

He really couldn't imagine lasting long if this kept up. He was sure he'd snap at one point or another.

Sighing and sitting up, Atemu started to get ready for bed. He stood in front of the large window for a while, watching the view and trying to see if the nearby town looked any better now than it had the day before when the attack had been. The town was simply too far away to make out much though, and Atemu turned to go to bed.

He stopped in his tracks just when he'd been about to step into bed, a sudden grin appearing on his face as he glanced back at the window. Casting a quick look at his door and listening if anyone was near, he rushed back to his closet and reached all the way in the back. There, hidden by all his other clothes and jewelry, lay the peasant clothes he'd used to wear when sneaking out so he wouldn't be recognized. He grinned, knowing that for once the fact that he hadn't grown much over the last year was going to come in handy.

In less than half an hour he was outside, dressed in the peasant clothes, and had escaped the palace walls. Since he was the one in charge of the guards now, he'd always made sure there was a slight gap at all times that he could escape through. Unless you knew of this gap you could never use it, but he'd memorized it by heart in case he ever did get the chance to get away.

He managed to reach the town without any trouble, and started to look at the damage done himself. He hadn't been able to see how bad it was the last time since he'd been too tired. If Hikari hadn't brought him back to the palace, he would've had a hard time getting there himself, so he hadn't paid much attention to the scenery before. Now though, he could look around without any problems.

The damage was more extensive than he'd first thought, and he sighed at the idea that it would take quite a while to rebuild all the destroyed parts again. Although he wanted nothing more than to help people, he knew he also needed to start concentrating on actually beating Mariku and Bakura. He couldn't have any of his forces rebuilding towns when he did attack.

Which was probably why Mariku and Bakura kept attacking so much. The bastards.

He sighed, the demolition becoming worse as he went further into the town. The town square was one of the worst places, though repairs seemed to be getting underway most there. The entire town was deserted by now, Ra having already set for a while and most people not daring to go out in the dark. Atemu was therefore free to roam around the town, checking how it looked and where the repairs were mostly needed.

A barely noticeable movement in an alley caught his eye and Atemu tensed, looking at the spot intently and ready if anyone or anything attacked him, but nothing came. For a moment he could've sworn he'd seen a boy with spiked hair much like his own there, but he supposed he'd only imagined it.

Sitting down for a moment in the town square and just enjoying the peace after the day's events, he perked up when he felt a small surge of Shadow Magic not too far away. His eyes fixed on the alley he'd thought he'd seen something move in, the magic by now so familiar in feeling to him that he smiled. He really had seen someone in the alley then, and apparently it would've probably been better if he'd gone to check.

His eyes followed the form that slowly walked out of the alley, his smile growing as the moonlight shone on the majestic lion coming towards him. The lion gave him a curious look as he stopped right before Atemu.

_/ Fancy meeting you here, and in those clothes no less. /_

Atemu chuckled, "I see you can recognize me in anything." He briefly stroked the ebony fur that passed through his fingers like the shadows themselves, "I just had to get away from the palace for a while, rough day."

Hikari let out a mental chuckle, _/ Are people bothering you that much/_

Atemu grimaced, "No, but a new girl has shown up to try and become my bride. I know her from when we were both little, but the minute she started flirting with me our friendship ended really. She used to be my best friend but now she's rather annoying, not to mention shallow."

A brief flash of amusement as well as something Atemu could not quite place passed through Hikari's eyes, the amethyst depths reflecting clearly in the moonlight, _/ Why don't you send her away then/_

Atemu shook his head, a wry smile appearing on his features, "She is the Princess of Libya. Handling this incorrectly could lead to war, and that is the last thing I want."

Hikari nodded in understanding, closing his eyes as Atemu once more started to stroke his fur and purring softly in delight. Atemu smiled at the sound. "I do believe though, that this trip has revealed something else to me. You live in this town, don't you?"

Hikari stayed silent for a while, seemingly not having heard the question before his eyes opened and he looked directly at Atemu, _/ I guess there's no way to deny that now, huh/_ He smiled a little, _/ At this rate you might actually find out who I am in real life. /_

Atemu grinned before turning his gaze to the moon in the sky, "I do hope so."

Hikari looked at him a moment longer before also turning his gaze to the sky, simply enjoying the attention Atemu was giving him as they sat there in silence.

Neither male spoke for the rest of the evening, simply sitting there and enjoying each other's company and the peace around them that was so rare when they were together. Neither had any real clue how long they sat there, but they weren't willing to leave in the near future.

* * *

**And that was it. Now I mentally dubbed this chapter the 'Filler chapter from HELL' since the only thing important happening in is Teana coming in and I had quite a bit of trouble writing this all, but I hope you all liked it anyway. The main reason for me putting it in was actually to give a little insight on what Atemu's days are like since I've been focussing mostly on Yuugi. And hey, I put at least a little fluff at the end so be happy! Anyway, hope you all liked and cya next week! Review!**


	7. Chapter 6: New Advantage

**Yo people!**** I'd like to inform all of you that the end of this chapter was partly my friend's fault. GO NALURAH! She gave me the idea to stop it where it did, so yeah. °grins° Have fun reading today's chap and R&R!****

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--: 06 :--**  
****New Adventage**

She was twitching by now. What was _he_ doing there? Why was it that _he_ managed to grab Atemu's attention so thoroughly without even really trying? Of course, if _he_ were nothing more than a peasant she wouldn't have so much problems with this. Atemu would plainly deal with the problem brought to his attention and then the peasant would leave. Sadly, though most expected _him_ to be a peasant, Atemu was not going to stop paying attention to _him_ when this problem was discussed. For one the problem was far bigger, and for two _he_ seemed to be more of a friend than just a partner to Atemu.

Hikari, the so-called saviour of Egypt. The lion that always helped Atemu when a town was under attack. The _animal_ that was currently stealing all _her_ Atemu's attention away from her.

Hikari had come in early that morning, completely unannounced and yet no guard had seemed to be holding him back and none of the high priests had seemed annoyed or surprised by his appearance. Even Seth, the usually moody and cranky cousin of Atemu seemed to actually like Hikari to a certain degree. He liked him enough by any chancethat he'dtalk to the lion, which was a serious feat at times.

Of course, she only heard Atemu and Seth speak. Apparently Hikari spoke mentally, and she wasn't being included in the conversation. Yet another crime the lion had committed, in her opinion. She was going to be the future queen of Egypt; she should be included in any conversation about the country or any other topic for that matter.

Teana twitched again as she heard Atemu chuckle at something that Hikari had apparently said. That was it; she wanted to be included in this.

"What's so funny?" She turned her gaze curious instead of the jealousy she really felt. Jealousy wasn't becoming of a lady, let alone the future ruler of a country. The three males in front of her turned to look at her, Seth with a bored look, Hikari with a curious one and Atemu with a somewhat annoyed one.

"Sorry, Teana. We're talking about important things that involve Bakura and Mariku. I can't include you in the meeting." Atemu gave a curt nod before turning back to his cousin and partner. Seth gave a half smirk so only they could see and Teana couldn't, and Hikari gave an apologetic smile at the brunette female and then turned back to the conversation as well.

_/ You could've just told her, you know. /_ Atemu rolled his eyes and shook his head. He spoke quietly so Teana wouldn't be able to hear what he was discussing with the others.

"No, I don't want her in on anything going on. It'll only give her hopes that she's being included and I refuse to even consider courting her, let alone make her my queen. I just need to think of a way to tell her that without causing a war…" Hikari snickered at the answer and the amusement was as clear as daylight on Seth's face.

"Yes, we know you have issues with this but can we please get back to the matter at hand? You know, the fact that Egypt hates you and Bakura and Mariku are still out there, wrecking towns?" Seth raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat, "The fact that the others are busy with other things at the moment does not mean you can stop thinking about this."

Atemu frowned, crossing his arms and leaning them on the table in front of him. "I don't know. The town nearby is still being repaired so I doubt they'll attack any time soon there, but who knows what other towns they might've set their eyes on." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "And we still don't know what happened exactly when they suddenly disappeared into seemingly nothingness a few days ago."

Hikari cocked his head in thought for a moment. _/ The shadows… they seemed to just disappear into the shadows. /_

Seth and Atemu looked thoughtful for a moment as well, considering the idea. Atemu shook his head, "I admit that it did seem like that, but they don't have a power like that, do they? They've never used it before and there would've been many times it would've come in handy for them to finish us off."

Hikari nodded slowly in agreement, the thoughtful look never leaving his features, _/ True, t they've never displayed any such power. Maybe they learned it on the spot? You know, like a panic reaction to almost being defeated by us/_

"Maybe, but displays of such Shadow Magic is rare at best." Seth crossed his arms, "Shadow Magic needs concentration to use to the point that it can't just develop on its own. And the chance that it is called on without the slightest bit of practise in it or without the wielder being aware of it is slim to none."

There was silence after that, all three trying to come up with something else that might explain the strange event. After a few minutes Atemu let out a sigh, "This is ridiculous. We can guess to it all we want but we simply don't know." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration again, "We have no idea where Bakura and Mariku are hiding and no matter what we try, we can't find them. We don't know what little power they used to pull off that stunt the other day, and who knows what they plan on doing next. I think trying to find a needle in the deserts of Egypt would be easier than this right now."

No matter how amusing Atemu looked in his frustrated mood, Seth and Hikari had to agree. Bakura and Mariku had long since become a seemingly unsolvable problem, and any temporary solution they came up with seemed to fail no matter what.

"Sire!" All present in the room immediately looked at the guard that ran into the room. The man looked panicked, sweaty, and out of breath, so he must've been running for a while. Atemu rose from his seat and nodded for the other to continue.

"Bakura and Mariku have destroyed several towns, but they managed to intercept any form of communication to here so they had free reign." Atemu's eyes widened at the news, walking up the guard to look him in the eyes.

"Where are they now?" the guard panted for a moment, trying to catch his lost breath to no avail.

"They're heading this way, My Lord."

Hikari instantly sprang into action, jumping up and running to the door. In seconds he was out of the palace and on his way to the town, sure that Bakura and Mariku would make a stop there to destroy some more even though the town wasn't even fully rebuilt yet.

More importantly to him, his friends had said they'd be in the town square for the entire afternoon. Hikari had the strange feeling that now that his friends knew who he really was, they wouldn't leave so easily anymore. They'd want to stay and help him now, somehow under the impression that they might be able to help when they were only putting themselves in danger.

This was yet another reason he hadn't wanted them to know who he really was.

He vaguely heard Atemu calling him back, probably trying to hold him back so they'd get to the town at the same time, but he couldn't care less now. He needed to get there as fast as he could, and waiting for Atemu wasn't part of that planning.

* * *

"Why aren't we running again exactly?" Ryou ducked behind the barricade of debris as another shot of shadow magic was aimed at him, panic in his normally gentle eyes as he trembled in fear. 

"'Cause we need ta help Yuug!" Jou growled as he too ducked, the attack send his way only missing by inches. Malik, who was still standing, dodged to the side before throwing a rather large rock at the two standing in the middle of the square. Bakura merely laughed at the poor attempt to hit him with something and blasted the rock right back at Malik, the pale-blonde gritting his teeth as he was forced to duck as well this time.

"Damn it, those bastards have a damned good aim." He grumbled. He winced as he felt a blast hit the barricade and a piece of debris was shoved into his back, cursing softly. "Where's Yuugi for crying out loud?!"

Ryou glanced backwards at the barrier as if he was going to be able to see through it, before looking back at his friends, "I think we should call him Hikari for the moment guys. And I'm sure he's on his way." Or so he hoped at least. They would never last much longer.

"Well he better hurry up or we'll be dead before he gets here!" Jou grimaced, "Now does anyone have any ideas? Because throwin' random rocks and gettin' dem blasted back at us isn't exactly my idea of a good strategy."

"At least they seem to be enjoying it so we're doing a great job at stalling." Malik glared and rose again, throwing yet another rock only to get it blasted back at him with loud laughter following.

"Oh yes, and stalling will be great if we die here." Ryou pressed his back more against the debris, not caring if some of it was now poking his back painfully.

"Well, it's been a blast playing with you three but it's really time for us to go meet the Pharaoh. I'm sure he's expecting us by now." The malice practically dripped off Bakura's voice as he spoke. The shadows surrounding the three friends shifted a little, chaotically moving in random ways that should be impossible and the three teens in hiding paled. If something like this was happening to the shadows, it could only be related to shadow magic. And something related to shadow magic in this case was anything but good.

"Damn it, this can't be good." For the first time in the period of time that they'd been fighting, Malik showed fear as clear as day on his features, his voice trembling slightly. Moving shadows probably meant big attack. Big attack meant a lot of power. A lot of power probably meant it was going to kill them when it hit, barricade or no barricade.

"We need to get away, _now_!" Jou looked around in full panic, trying to find a way they could escape without being seen. None came into sight and he pressed himself up against the barricade as well, "Fuck, we're dead."

All three heard Bakura and Mariku laugh insanely for a moment before a large blast was fired. They closed their eyes, expecting not to open them again while alive, but snapped them open once more when they felt a gust of wind pass by them and another large explosion sounded. A powerful wind once more blew from the explosion and Malik, Jou and Ryou all looked up, stunned that nothing else had seemingly happened to them. They carefully sat up, glancing over the edge of the barricade to see why they were still alive, sighing in relief at what they saw.

Hikari, although panting from running so fast, stood in front of the barrier. He glared at Bakura and Mariku as he tried to catch his breath enough to start fighting, since that was unavoidable most likely.

_/ Picking on defenceless people now? You've sunken low. /_ Mariku snorted and rolled his eyes.

"They were the ones who started throwing rocks at us." He grinned maliciously, "They were yelling that we couldn't get away with kicking their friend's ass. You wouldn't happen to know what they were talking about, would you?"

Hikari's features stayed unchanged, but on the inside he completely panicked. The idiots had let slip that they were his friends. Whether in lion or human form didn't matter right now; Bakura and Mariku could easily use this to their advantage of they wanted to.

_/ Maybe you killed someone they liked/_ Bakura chuckled at the meek retort and smirked.

"Oh please, we all know that those three are apparently friends of yours. Now it would be nice if they knew you in real life so we can squeeze the information out of them, but they'll come in handy even if they don't know."

Hikari grimaced mentally, but still didn't show it on his face. Great, now he needed to fight Bakura and Mariku on his own again while trying to keep them away from Jou, Malik and Ryou. If this fight didn't kill him it sure as hell would hurt a lot.

Not wanting to wait for the two in front of him to make the first move, Hikari jumped at them, claws out and sharp nails blinking in the rays of Ra. Bakura's eyes widened fractionally before he quickly dropped to the side to dodge the attack. Mariku was less lucky as he tried to step out of the way as well but wasn't fast enough, his side being scratched by the deadly claws. The male growled as blood started pouring from the wound and he stumbled back, ducking to avoid the next attack Hikari sent his way and quickly defending himself by sending a blast of magic Hikari's way.

Hikari landed agilely, only barely able to dodge the blast Mariku sent his way, though his tail was thrown aside by the wind as the blast passed by. Hikari jumped up to attack once more, a shadow blast already forming in his mouth, but was stopped as a blast send from Bakura's Ring pounded him into one of the buildings behind him.

With a groan of pain, Hikari made a quick movement to avoid the next hit, jumping away from the now destroyed wall. He winced as he tried to stand on his left forepaw and immediately retracted it, the action making him slow down as a new blast hit him.

"Aw, it seems kitty-cat sprained his paw. Does it hurt?" Mariku snickered at his own jest before wincing at the pain in his side and cursing softly. Hikari smirked despite the pain he too was in, glad that the scratches he'd made were apparently deeper than he'd first suspected.

_/ It seems I'm not the only one in pain. /_ He jumped up, ignoring the pain in his paw as much as possible as he tried to run at the other two again. Sadly his speed had decreased greatly because of the pain he simply couldn't ignore completely and he only barely managed to dodge a blast from Bakura that would've been easy to escape from at any other time.

"He might be hurt but at least he still has someone to cover for him. Can't say the same for you, now can I?" The Thief King grinned maniacally, "After all, your dear master is no where in sight."

Hikari scowled, _/ So you can't beat me one-on-one so you have to come at me at the same time? How pathetic. /_ Bakura glared at him for the remark, not able to retort immediately.

"Well then, why not let one of them help you?" Bakura suddenly smirked in the direction of Malik, Jou and Ryou. "Tell you what; we leave one of them here to 'help' you whenever Atemu's not around and we take two with us to make sure you don't start going four-on-two on us."

Hikari's eyes widened, knowing that with his current lack of speed due to his paw, he'd never be able to stop Bakura and Mariku if they played it smart. He whipped his head to the three still glancing over the barricade, _/Run, _now! The three looked in confusion and Hikari realized they'd never heard someone speak in their minds, but after a quick glance at each other they scrambled to their feet nonetheless in an attempt to get away.

Bakura's smirk only widened, instantly using his shadow magic to stop the three teens from running and binding them to the spot. Hikari tried to jump in front of the three, only to be tackled by Mariku who was obviously ignoring his bleeding wound for the moment. Bakura laughed at the sight as he rushed towards the three teens bound to the ground.

"Well then, who will we take?" He looked the three over, meeting two pairs of somewhat defiant eyes, and one pair that only showed fear. Two of the teens looked an awful lot like Mariku and himself, and Bakura rose an eyebrow at the likeness, before shrugging it off.

"Well, if I didn't know any better I'd say I have a younger brother or something." He looked mockingly at Ryou, the only one showing nothing but fear in his eyes. "And Mariku too." He glanced at Malik for a second, the sandy blonde glaring at him.

Hikari growled, struggling to get out from under Mariku who was trying to hold him down with his body and the last bits of shadow magic he still had. He winced as he moved his paw in a wrong way, growling louder at the pain. Mariku growled in pain himself, not sure how much longer he could hold the lion back at this rate.

Seeing that his partner wouldn't be able to hold on much longer, Bakura quickly enveloped both Malik and Ryou in the Shadow Magic completely, throwing Jou to the ground a bit away and pinning him down with minimal effort and magic. He looked back at Mariku, "Come on, we're going before Pharaoh-dearest can show up; he's already close by."

Mariku grunted and quickly leaped to his feet, his Shadow Magic staying in place to keep the lion pinned down even if it would only last a few more seconds.

Mariku rushed over to Bakura quickly, his hands clutching at the gash on his side and groaning at the pain it caused. The minute he reached the white-haired thief, Bakura quickly enveloped himself and Mariku in Shadow Magic as well. Hikari broke free of the magic keeping him down, instantly springing up and leaping at the two that were about to kidnap two of his best friends. Malik was cursing loudly as he tried to move, Ryou struggling as well as tears came down his face as he was completely powerless.

**

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Dum-dum-dum-DUM! evil music plays**** End of chap people (A) All who want to kill me, GET IN LINE! There are many waiting in front of you. Now, have fun thinking about the cliffie for the rest of the week and Review folks!**

**PS: note to Chi-Eiki. I'd love to go check out your fics but there's a slight problem °sweatdrops° I need a penname for that. I checked the one you signed the review with but that one doesn't seem to exist on this site. Can you sign in and review or something? It's a bit hard to read your fics if I don't know where to look for them XD**


	8. Chapter 7: Revealed

**Well, I'm glad you people all seem to agree that I should stay alive so I can continue to update... of course, this will become an issue when the story is over, but that's a problem I'll handle when that time comes XD so far, I'm writing chap 11 so you've all got a pretty nice way to go before this'll be over. Anyway, I'll stop ranting now and have fun with the chapter! R&R folks!****

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**

--: 07 :--  
**Revealed**

The next minute or so was pure chaos. First Atemu rushed onto the scene, eyes widening as he saw what was going on.

Next, the same blank look as last time passed over Bakura and Mariku's faces before they, like last time, seemed to merge with the shadows that had engulfed them, leaving no trace of them or Malik and Ryou. Hikari landed right on the spot where the two keeping his friends captive had been only a second before, growling ferociously at having missed his target.

Lastly, Jou was released from the magic binding him, his eyes wide as he backed away from the spot his friends had just disappeared from and where Hikari was now standing.

Never before had anyone seen Hikari actually act like the animal he appeared to be. Hikari was mostly calm, collected, never rushing a decision and thinking about what he was doing at all times. Right now, he seemed more like the lion he looked to be than anything else, eyes showing animalistic instincts that had never shown themselves before.

Atemu slowly climbed off the horse he'd been riding, careful crimson eyes focused on who he considered his best friend. Never before had he ever feared Hikari, not even when the other had first come to his aid during one of his earliest fights, because the lion simply to seemed to have an aura around him that practically screamed he wasn't dangerous to most. Never had he thought it possible to even feel the slightest bit scared after having become friends with the other. Now, however, he cautiously kept his distance, glancing around at the damage before his eyes fell on the blonde not far away from the pacing lion.

Cursing mentally that there was someone else around at a time when Hikari had snapped for some reason, Atemu knew he needed to either get the other teen away from here, or calm Hikari down before he did any permanent damage. He trusted Hikari with his life and would do anything for the other, so the answer seemed quite obvious to that extent. Still, seeing Hikari like this was making him apprehensive, and the apprehension was growing by the second.

Atemu clenched his teeth and cautiously approached the fierce-looking lion; very aware that, in such a state, Hikari might not recognize who he was. He had no idea why Hikari had suddenly turned so much into a lion, but he didn't like it one bit. Maybe a new type of spell? Or had something happened during the fight that he had missed? Hikari had rushed out with more haste than he had ever displayed before. Whatever it was, he would rather get killed on the spot than do nothing to help.

"Hikari?" Fierce violet eyes turned to him, the amethyst darkened with anger and the usual kindness and compassion that Atemu had always admired so much no where in sight.

A roar escaped Hikari's throat as his posture tensed as if ready to attack, but Atemu didn't stop his slow approach even if his heart started to beat faster in his chest. His own posture turned more rigid, ready to defend if Hikari did attack, but he refused to give up on his friend.

"Calm down and tell me what happened." Atemu crouched in front of the lion, only a feet or so away from him now. Hikari's eyes flashed with more anger though sorrow could be seen in the very back.

'_He's guarding himself.'_ Atemu realized. _'Something must've happened that he pulled back into himself, leaving only his animalistic instincts.'_ Cautiously he held out a hand for the other to sniff, desperately hoping that some kind of recognition or memory would be triggered by it.

Hikari sniffed the hand in front of him, one paw raising itself as if to strike at any given moment. Before Atemu could do anything against it though, Hikari pounced on him, the only thing preventing the other's claws from piercing his skin being the subconscious automatic response of releasing shadow magic to shield him. He winced as he could still feel the nails biting into his skin, even if the shadows blunted them down and prevented them from ripping him apart.

_/ Why weren't you here earlier! They're gone now because I couldn't stop Bakura and Mariku from taking them, but you should've been here to help__, then they would've never been taken/_

Atemu's eyes widened at the fierce voice in his mind laced with anger, sorrow and guilt. He tried to think what the other meant, remembering two other teenagers fading into the same shadows Bakura and Mariku had. Were those Hikari's friends? Was that why the other was suddenly so angry?

His eyes softened and he calmly raised an arm to stroke Hikari's fur soothingly, his fear disappearing almost completely as he suddenly understood what had happened. "You ran out without me and you know as well as I do that I can't get here as fast as you can." He gave his friends a compassionate look, "I'm sorry, Hikari."

Hikari's eyes filled with tears as he tore himself off Atemu, pacing in front of the Pharaoh and trying not to cry. He was Hikari right now, strong, calm - never overemotional. The fact that he had just attacked Atemu showed that he needed to keep his emotions under close control as long as he was in this form. He was just grateful that he hadn't actually hurt the other.

"Were they your friends?" Hikari stiffened and Atemu didn't even need the question answered verbally – or mentally really. Ignoring the wide-eyed teen still somewhere behind him, he drew the young lion into his arms as much as the other's size would allow, "Shh, it's okay. We'll get them back."

The slight barrier Hikari had just managed to build up again instantly broke, his body practically crumbling into Atemu's embrace as tears fell from his eyes. _/ We don't even know where Bakura and Mariku live! They could die and it's my fault because I couldn't protect them/_ The magic in his body was flowing erratically, no longer controlled like it usually was and Hikari slowly felt his grasp on it fading. He struggled to regain control but his sudden burst of emotions wouldn't allow it.

Golden magic suffused the air around Atemu and Hikari as the former's eyes widened. He tensed at the unfamiliar sensation before looking down to see Hikari suddenly glowing with the same magic, his body glowing a bright gold that made it impossible to look directly at him.

As the bright glow dimmed down, Atemu stared in wonder as he held a boy in his arms now, sobbing uncontrollably as his body shook. This, he realized, had to be Hikari's true form, his human form. Why he had changed all of a sudden Atemu didn't know, but all he could do was pull the other tighter against him, ignoring the fact that the other was naked for the time being and more concerned with how he was feeling. There was a strange familiarity to the teen in his arms, but Atemu couldn't quite place it. As if he'd seen the other before but couldn't remember where or when.

"Yuugi…" Crimson eyes turned to look at the blonde that had relaxed by now and was staring with sorrowful eyes at the boy in his arms. The other stood up and came closer with concern in his eyes, and Atemu lowered his guard.

"I presume you're one of his friends too, then?" At the nod, Atemu continued, "Alright, then I'm assuming his name is Yuugi. Do you know where he lives?" Again a nod. The blonde seemed mostly stunned into silence, having just enough sense to answer the questions mutely.

"Yeah, we've been friends since childhood." The other regained his full senses and hesitated for a moment before looking up at him, "I'm Jou."

Atemu smiled, "Don't worry, any friend of… Yuugi's, I suppose, at least has the right to look me in the eye." Jou relaxed visibly at the slight joke and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, 'cause I don't think Yuug could handle you sentencin' me ta death."

Atemu chuckled, "I'm usually not the type to sentence anyone to death as it is." He glanced down to the form in his arm, noting that the shaking had stopped and seeing that the other had seemingly fallen asleep. "Can you take me to where he lives? I think he needs some clothes…" He let his eyes wander over the other's body briefly before taking the cape from around his neck and wrapping the other in it.

Jou nodded, "Yeah, sure. I'm pretty sure he won't mind." He got up, Atemu following suit as they quickly made their way to Yuugi's house, taking care to avoid anyone that might've stayed behind too far and could see them.

* * *

His head was hurting, the ever present magic in his body was still acting chaotic, and he had no idea how long exactly he'd been out. All he knew at the moment was that strong emotions and the magic he possessed did not mix. 

The last thing he really remembered was Atemu trying to calm him down. Then his magic going completely out of control and then… he didn't quite know. Between that point and the chaotic magic knocking him out was a period of time he couldn't account for, but he knew something must've happened.

Groaning as he slowly opened his eyes, Yuugi glanced around the room he was in only to blink at the fact that it was his own bedroom. He slowly sat up, the slight headache fading as all his senses returned to him. He heard voices coming from the next room so he stood up and curiously listened in, his eyes widening as he heard both Jou and Atemu's voices.

"And dat's when he was forced ta transform in front of us to help you."

"So he actually kept it from everyone… he wasn't kidding when he told me that then."

Yuugi stared, not moving as he realized that Jou and Atemu were talking about him. If Jou and Atemu were talking, especially since they were discussing the time Yuugi had been forced to show to his friends that he was Hikari, then Atemu had to know who he was.

The brief lapse of memory he'd had suddenly flashed back to him. He'd lost complete control of his powers and because of that, he'd accidentally lost his grasp on his transformation and had transformed back to his human state. Not long after that the magic had become so chaotic that it had actually knocked him out.

"Damn it." Yuugi closed his eyes, trying to stay calm as everything hit him at once. The magic in him once more lashed out inside him and his headache returned. He groaned as he gripped his head, only half aware of a pair of hands gripping his shoulders. He tried to calm himself down so he could force his magic back into a controllable form.

After a brief moment his headache faded again and he slowly opened his eyes, gulping as he looked straight into concerned cerise eyes. Eyes he knew all too well after the year he'd spent with the person they belonged too.

"Are you alright?" Atemu asked, his hands still resting on Yuugi's shoulders as if afraid something would happen if he let go. Yuugi smiled nervously.

"Yeah, as long as I keep my emotions in check so my own magic won't lash out at me." He glanced aside to see Jou standing right next to him with a similar concerned expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

Jou rolled his eyes at the question, "You practically faint in his arms after goin' all lion on us and you're askin' me if I'm okay?" he gave a pointed look, "Worry about yourself, not me."

"I'm fine. I'm just…" Yuugi rubbed his temple, "I never knew my magic could freak out on my like that when my emotions got the better of me." He looked back at Atemu uncertainly. "And I really didn't want to transform back like that…"

Atemu's eyes softened and he smiled, "For the umpteenth time, we went over why you never told me who you were. I'm not angry." He smirked, "I'm actually happy I finally found out."

"And you're not…" Yuugi looked down at the ground, "disappointed that it's someone like me…" It's what he'd feared most deep down. That he'd lose the respect of Atemu when the other saw him in his human form. After all, he was a 17-year old that looked practically 13 and most would deny that he could even hurt so much as a fly. He'd always been afraid he'd lose the respect Atemu had for Hikari if the other ever saw him as Yuugi. It had probably been the main reason why he'd never told the other, if he was completely honest with himself.

Atemu merely raised a questioning eyebrow, "Disappointed? What's there to be disappointed in?"

Yuugi glanced up into the other's eyes, seeing the same friendship and respect that had been there since they'd gotten to know each other still there. He mentally sighed in relief, happy that his fear had apparently been unfounded, "Well as Hikari I look all strong like I can handle anything. Now I look…like a kid." He smiled sheepishly.

Atemu smiled in amusement at the statement, "Maybe so, but you earned my respect a long time ago and that's not going to change because your human appearance doesn't look like it could kill at any given moment. Besides," he grinned, "somehow I'd never expected you to look like that anyway. You were always far too gentle and nice for that, not counting the way you act in a fight."

Jou grinned as well, "Yuugi lookin' all dangerous… nah, can't imagine dat."

Yuugi pouted as he gave a mocking glare at his blonde friend, "Thanks, Jou. That makes me feel all better."

Both Atemu and Jou chuckled before they turned and walked back into the living room, Yuugi following as they sat down in some chairs. Atemu turned more serious as he looked at Yuugi, "Kidding put aside, we need to figure out how to get your other two friends back." He ignored the stiffening of Yuugi's posture, knowing the issue would have to be addressed at one point or another. "There's a chance Bakura and Mariku will come back for Jou, so it might be best if you two come live in the palace."

Yuugi stared at him for a moment in shock, "But, I can't stay in my lion form forever. I mean, I've never tried it before but I'm pretty sure that I can't do that without it having consequences. Who knows what could happen. On top of that, how would you explain why Jou's there?"

Atemu cut his friend off before he could list more reasons why this wouldn't work, "I didn't mean you'd come as Hikari, I meant that you'd come as Yuugi. What you and Jou are doing there is my concern and I won't even have to tell anyone else." A thoughtful look crossed his face, "Except maybe Seth. He'll keep pestering until I finally give in."

Yuugi hesitated, thinking about the proposal. If he didn't go there was indeed a chance that Bakura and Mariku would go after Jou. They wouldn't even have to attack; they could just send some of their minions to kidnap him. On top of that, if the two did attack there was a chance they might use Jou to threaten him even without taking him if the blonde was too close to the fight. And knowing Jou, he wouldn't leave even with the past happenings.

If he did go, Jou would be safe. The blonde would be too far away from the fights and no minion of Bakura and Mariku's could get to him. He'd have to show himself to Seth though, which would be yet another person who would know who he was. Seth was the only priest he actually trusted nearly as much as he did Atemu, but the thought of yet another person knowing who Hikari was didn't appeal to him.

Yuugi hesitated for a second longer before sighing, "Are you sure you can come up with a reason why Jou and I are there? Because if people start to suspect anything then-"

"Relax." Atemu gave him a reassuring look, "I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something. I probably won't even have to come up with anything really since people in the palace just blindly do as I say. Except Seth of course, but that's why he'll be the only one we'll have to tell this all to."

Yuugi nodded reluctantly, "Okay then, I guess it's not a bad idea."

Jou grinned, "Awesome, so I get ta see da palace? And tell people ta do things for me? Dis is gonna be great!" Atemu sweat dropped, so used to that kind of treatment that he'd almost forgotten how great it must seem to anyone who had never experienced it before. Yuugi just shook his head, smiling at his friend. He might not be as used to it as Atemu, but he'd been in the palace as Hikari many times and everyone always did anything for him at those times. It wasn't new to him anymore, though he remembered how strange it had been when it had first happened.

"Well then," Atemu rose to his feet, "Let's go introduce you two to palace life."

* * *

The shadows that had been keeping him unmoving finally dissolved and Malik immediately pulled Ryou behind him protectively, his white-haired friend looking around frantically at their new surroundings. 

Malik glanced around briefly as well, before returning his glare to the two people – neither of who could be much older than they themselves were – in front of him. They seemed to be in a large cave of some sorts. Light came flooding in through an exit not too far from them, but Malik doubted they could make a run for it if they could just be bound to the ground again like before.

"Don't glare like that." Bakura snorted, "You're not scaring anyone with it, especially since I can still feel fear in your aura."

Malik gritted his teeth at the statement, "I'm not the type to give up without a fight."

Mariku grinned, "Feisty, I like him." Bakura merely rolled his eyes at him.

"Good, then you go take care of them. If they really are friends of that stupid cat than they might just be useful."

Mariku raised an eyebrow and cocked his head, "And what are you going to do?" he absently reached for the wound on his side where Hikari had scratched him, noting that it had been healed fully already. His work, no doubt.

Bakura scowled before turning away, "What do you think? I've had it with him helping us. We could've gotten out of there by ourselves."

The King of Thieves walked away, leaving Mariku with Malik and Ryou.

With a shrugs, Mariku turned back to his two hostages and grinned, "Well, I guess I'll be giving you the grand tour then." At Malik's scowl deepening and the fear in Ryou's aura growing, his grin grew. He simply let the shadows around them force the two to start walking as he went deeper into the cave, waving merrily at other thieves that resided there and helped them. All the way he chatted happily to the duo behind him as he pointed out things in the cave like important rooms, ignoring the foul cursing coming from Malik.

"And this," he halted and let the shadows that were by now only cast by torches on the wall, "will be your room." He opened a door that led to a small room. It was the smallest one they had and didn't contain anything but two stone beds carved out of the rocks, and a strange torch that burned with purple flames. Mariku turned to face his two 'guests'. "I hope you have a pleasant stay here and if you want something… well I doubt you'll get it so don't get your hopes up."

He used the shadows once more to force to two to walk, seeing Malik resist with every fibre of his being as Ryou just walked, his gaze downcast.

"Hikari will save us, you know!" Malik growled as the shadows released him and he turned to glare at Mariku. The Assassin gave the other a look-over, openly leering at what he saw.

"I'm counting on it." He smirked, "Though until then, we're going to have a lot of _fun_." He closed the door and assigned two simple minions to guard the room, knowing that even if they were overpowered the two imprisoned in the room would never get far. He walked away, happily whistling a tune as his mind went over the many ways he could try to seduce his little look-alike. The other's fierce attitude would make this quite a challenge, but he'd always liked to put some effort into getting his prey.

After all, what fun would there be in a hunt if the prey didn't put up a fight?

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**Okay, HAPPY now? Atemu FINALLY knows who Hikari is. Yes, you can all go throw a party. Of course, the whole Malik and Ryou getting kidnapped thing might be a downer... but who cares about them anyway XD as YGO:TAS would say: They're not main characters. Those who don't know what YGO:TAS is... wow, where have YOU been living lately? °coughs° But anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chap and Review!**


	9. Chapter 8: A New Home

**Well, i'm glad you people all seemed to like the last chapter, because to do becompletely honest I rewrote the first part of it twice and I still don't like. It just annoyed me so much that I refused to rewrite it again. Anyway, on with the next chap! You all seem to want to see Seth's reaction so here it comes. In this week's episode we'll have some SethxJou hints, some Teana getting pissed off, and for the most part just getting things on track for the upcoming scenes. So, without further ado, chap 8! Enjoy folks and R&R!****

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--: 08 :--**  
****A New Home**

The sight was quite comical really. Pure and utter shock did not quite befit the features of Seth. Yuugi was used to seeing the High Priest stoic or scowling. Admittedly he'd seen the brunette in a happy mood as well, mostly at Atemu's expense, but even that was a strange sight at times. Shock simply didn't seem fitting to him at all though.

"So this," Seth glanced over at Yuugi, his eyes scanning the shorter teen as if checking if he hadn't missed anything, "is Hikari?"

Yuugi grinned at him, not having expected a much different reaction from the other. Seth could be quite judgemental at times and if he'd thought he might lose Atemu's respect by showing him his human form, than he knew it would decrease the High Priest's. With Seth he could handle it though, simply because he wasn't nearly as close to Seth as he was to Atemu. He found Seth's shock more amusing than anything else.

"Expecting some bulky guy that carries weapons with him everywhere he goes?" Atemu chuckled at the comment and Seth's features shifted back to normal, eyes narrowing on him slightly.

"That proves that you're him; only he would make such a remark at a time like this." He rolled his eyes as the grin on Yuugi's face broadened. He glanced at the blonde also present in the room for a moment, blinking as he recognized him, though he couldn't quite place where he'd seen the other, before just shrugging it off as unimportant and raising an eyebrow.

Atemu, catching the questioning look, decided to answer before any snide comments could be made, "This is Jou, a friend of Yuugi's. Since Ryou and Malik – the two who were kidnapped – are probably being kept to blackmail Hikari in some way, we thought it would be better if Jou stayed here." He glanced at Yuugi for a moment, the teen now looking down with that same guilty look on his face once more. He grimaced at it, his heart wrenching slightly at seeing his friend in such a state.

Jou smiled nervously, not used to being scrutinized so much, "Uhm… hey?" he held his hand out for Seth to shake. For a moment there seemed to be a flash of recognition at the sound of his voice, before it was pushed behind the thick barriers that seemed to cover every emotion in the High Priest's eyes, leaving nothing behind. His hand was completely ignored as Seth turned back to Atemu. Jou scowled at this, but stayed silent nonetheless.

"And what excuse are you going to make up for them? Two peasants suddenly in the palace for no apparent reason are going to be suspicious and the others will start asking questions. Since you're obviously trying to keep this a secret from everyone else, you need a reason."

Atemu frowned in thought, "I'm not quite sure yet… There really doesn't seem to be a reason that I can think of to use, so I was hoping to just keep them out of sight and if someone asks, say that it's top secret or something."

"And you expect the others to accept that?" Seth gave a sceptical look, "I doubt Shimon for instance will accept that reason. He'll want to know what secret since he's your advisor and should be allowed to know."

Atemu sighed, "I know, but I refuse to use them as servants or something just to cover their presence up."

Yuugi smiled at the Pharaoh, his brief lapse in control over his emotions mostly gone again, "I wouldn't mind if it makes it easier for you. You can probably assign me and Jou to do light things or something and I even promise to come save you from Teana from time to time as Hikari."

Atemu shuddered at the mention of the girl, "I almost forgot about her… how sweet ignorance can be," he glanced at Jou, "You wouldn't mind either?"

Jou shrugged, no longer scowling at the High Priest and looking at Atemu now, "Not really. It's better than gettin' kidnapped."

Atemu nodded and sighed, reluctantly agreeing to the idea, "Fine, but I'll make sure neither of you will have to do much. As for where you'll be sleeping…" he hesitated, knowing that although he'd improved the living arrangements for the servants greatly since his father's time, he still didn't like the idea of Jou and mostly Yuugi sleeping there. It still wasn't the best place to stay.

"It isn't that bad." Yuugi said, as if reading Atemu's thoughts. Atemu still didn't look too pleased with the idea and Yuugi sighed, "If it'll make you feel better, I could always sleep on the huge mountains of cushions you keep here for me to sleep on, even though I usually always refuse…"

"Well you sleep here from time to time, though mostly because at those times you're always too exhausted to leave." Atemu smirked at the slightly embarrassed blush that crept up Yuugi's cheeks, "But it would be nice if you'd stay out of your own free will for a change."

Yuugi shook his head but smiled nonetheless, "Fine, but that doesn't solve Jou's problem."

Jou shrugged before Atemu could even start thinking of anything, "I have a feelin' that whatever I get here is better than what I had back in da village, so I really don't mind."

Yuugi cocked his head, "You sure?"

Jou simply nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine." He grinned, "It'll be fun enough to hang around da palace with barely any work ta do."

Seth snorted and Yuugi could've sworn he saw some plotting being done in the ice-blue eyes of the other. He feared for Jou because if Seth was planning to keep him busy, he would be busy no matter what Atemu said.

Atemu also caught the glint in his cousin's eyes and raised an eyebrow slightly, though he made sure no one else would notice it. Why Seth would put any effort into whatever it was he was planning he didn't quite know, especially since it involved Jou; someone he'd never met before. He made a mental note to find out later though.

"Well then, why don't you lead Jou to the servant quarters, Seth? Give him a room to himself, preferably." Above all, Atemu could use some entertainment. He liked Jou, he really did, but with Teana now annoying the hell out of him on a daily basis he really didn't mind some harmless plotting on Seth's behalf as long as Jou didn't actually get hurt because of it.

"Of course." Seth stood up and walked towards the doors leading out of Atemu's bedroom, not waiting in the slightest for Jou to follow. Jou scowled once more, deciding that he definitely didn't like this High Priest, but followed without comment. Arguing would most likely ensue more than enough; status be damned.

It took him all but two minutes to get fed up with the silent treatment, "Hey, would ya please slow down a little? Some of us don't know da palace dat well."

Seth glanced behind him, an only half-interested look on his features, "Well you're going to have to learn then if you want to work here." Without another word he turned to face ahead again and continued his silent treatment.

Now normally Seth wouldn't have responded quite so harshly. It might be contrary to popular belief, but he did have feelings and he knew exactly what his behaviour did to some people. He simply tended to ignore that knowledge in favour of being a jerk, simply to try and keep people as far away from him as possible. He had seen many people suffer because they'd let others get too close to them and he'd long ago decided he'd try to avoid that as much as possible. Atemu and maybe Hikari to a certain extent were the only ones he'd let close to him. Atemu simply because it was his cousin and they'd grown up together - and Hikari because for some reason you just couldn't help but like him. Even his father wasn't quite as close to him as those two were. Aknadin wasn't a bad father or anything, they just didn't have a great bond.

Jou was a different case, though.

Seth grimaced slightly as he remembered exactly why the blonde seemed so familiar to him. When Atemu had send him out to find out what people thought of him, he'd started at the close-by village. There weren't a lot of people still living there so observing the small community and asking a few questions here and there hadn't been too hard. Questions about who he was had simply been answered by a wandering traveller, and no one had seemed to bother to ask any further.

Jou, although he hadn't spoken directly to the blonde, had been one of the people he'd seen many times. And each and every time Seth hadn't been able to resist the urge to stare and pay attention to nothing else. It had gotten to a point where Seth had actually considered talking to the other without any particular reason.

That had been about the point where he'd finally realized that even though he only barely knew the blonde and he only saw a bit of what he was like, he was definitely attracted to Jou. It had also been the point where Seth had quickly left the town to go look around in another before he could break his own rule of not letting people into his life so easily.

Now, however, it seemed he'd be stuck with Jou for quite some time. The war wasn't going to be resolved over night and thus, Jou would be around for a while. He might've been able to suppress everything – proven by the fact that he hadn't immediately recognized Jou – but he was pretty sure that if he didn't do something, his own rule was going to be broken.

Sadly though, he had no plan. He'd been attracted to others before but never to this extent. All he could come up with was to be as rude as possible and make Jou's life as hard as possible so the other would practically hate him. At least then he'd have a very good motivation not to lose his self control.

Lame, yes. Necessary, definitely.

Seth glanced behind him shortly as they reached the servant's quarters only to see Jou scowling at him, his eyes burning with an angry fire. Seth mentally cursed himself for having glanced back, immediately reminded that he simply loved the look of the blonde when he was angry or annoyed. He quickly looked in front of him again in an attempt to hide any reaction he might've had

Okay, annoying the blonde to a point where that look would cross his face was probably a bad idea as well.

He really needed a plan B.

Without a word being spoken between the two of them, Jou entered the room Seth showed him to and looked around, momentarily forgetting his anger in favour of looking around curiously. The room really wasn't too bad. There wasn't much in it maybe, but the bed seemed better than the one he had back at home and at least here there wouldn't be a father who would get mad at him for seemingly nothing. The beatings he got on a regular basis were definitely something he wouldn't miss while he was staying here.

Of course since he was going to be gone for quite a while, by the time he got back his father would probably be so angry he wouldn't be able to walk for a month, but at least he was safe until then.

"I have to go tend to some important matters, so stay put until you're summoned to do something." Jou glanced back at Seth for a moment to give the other a glare at the tone that clearly implied he wasn't capable to follow the simplest of instructions. A brief smirk flitted across the other's face before Seth turned around and walked away, leaving Jou alone in the room.

With an aggravated sigh and a few curses towards the brunette that had just left, Jou sat down on the bed, waiting until someone would come to get him.

* * *

Yuugi watched Jou and Seth leave, feeling a slight nervous feeling coming back to him. No matter how comfortable he'd always been with Atemu, it was different to him somehow now. It was probably because now that Atemu saw his human form, he'd be a lot easier to read than the lion form Atemu had always seen. His emotions were easier to see and with that came the problems of hiding his true feelings for Atemu.

"So," Atemu looked at him intently, his eyes watching him as if trying to find the answer to a question Yuugi didn't know, "why is it that you seem so familiar to me while I have no idea how that's possible?"

Yuugi smiled, happy that he could finally tell Atemu everything that he'd been keeping from the other. "Do you remember when you were little; your father took you along to a place close to the village to give some guy money to kill off the rebels?"

Atemu scowled and nodded, "Yes, it was the second time my father decided to drag me along to something like that… the first time he ordered his guards to murder an entire village." He glanced down at the Millennium Puzzle for a moment, "It's where the Millennium items came from, sadly."

Yuugi grimaced at the thought of en entire village being destroyed for more power, but knew it was something late Pharaoh Aknunkanon would definitely pull. He stored the information away in his mind to think about later; right now he was telling Atemu how he'd become Hikari. "Remember a young boy you saved when he was discovered by your father?"

For a moment Atemu stared at him in that searching way again, before his eyes widened in realization and recognition. "But he… died. My father-"

"Shot me with shadow magic while the lion that had been roaming the desert pounced on me." Yuugi grimaced at the memory of the incredible pain he'd gone through, "Yeah, I didn't quite die."

Yuugi spend quite some time telling Atemu everything that had happened since that day. How he'd woken up with his friends, his first time transforming, all the training he'd had to put into controlling his power, the first time he'd helped Atemu and everything else that came with keeping his secret. Atemu listened to it all silently, intently watching his friend as he finally got to know who he really was; the real person behind Hikari.

"And that's pretty much it. Jou already told you how he and the others found out that I'm Hikari and you know how you found out… so yeah." Yuugi fiddled with his shirt a bit nervously under the intense gaze now that he didn't have anything to say anymore, and so had nothing to distract himself with. No matter how much he loved those eyes, it could be quite nerve-wrecking to be watched so intensely by them.

"Well," a wry smile crossed Atemu's face, "Never thought my father would actually accomplish something good for me in my life, even if you went through Hell for it."

Yuugi chuckled at the comment, "I'd do it all again in a heartbeat." He blushed a bit, knowing the comment meant more than what Atemu would probably read into it. It was true though; love put aside, he'd do everything all over again if it would get him Atemu's friendship.

Atemu smiled gently at the comment and chuckled, "I'm glad to hear that; you're part of why I'm still sane at this moment, especially now that Teana is here."

Yuugi gave him a mock shocked look, "You mean this is you as a sane person? Wow, don't want to see you going insane then." The completely serious tone in which the statement was spoken made Atemu burst out in laughter. Yuugi just grinned at the other, glad that he'd been able to make him laugh. Atemu was usually very tense since he had so many worries, but a good laugh could relax the even the most tense of people. Atemu was no exception to that rule.

After a few more minutes of laughter, Atemu finally calmed down though he continued to chuckle a bit to himself, "Thanks, I really needed that." He visibly relaxed, the usual tenseness leaving him.

There was a knock on the door and both Yuugi and Atemu's heads snapped to the door. Atemu had never been so happy that people didn't come into his room without first getting permission. Giving a brief urgent glance at Yuugi, the younger jumped up, his skin already glowing with the magic within him as he started to transform into Hikari.

"Who is there?" Atemu's eyes stayed on Yuugi in wonder as the younger slowly transformed into the black lion with golden manes that he knew so well, clothes being discarded at the last moment so they wouldn't rip.

"It's me, Atemu. Are you alright?" Teana entered the room just as the glow of magic died down and Hikari quickly kicked his discarded clothes under the bed. The lion was all-too happy that his emotions and expressions were practically impossible to read in this form – Atemu not included in this rule.

Teana's eyes focused on Hikari as she scanned the room for a moment, an annoyed look crossing her face in record time. "Oh, I see you have company."

Atemu, leaping at the chance to annoy the girl in front of him without it having any consequences, smiled seemingly obvious to the irritated tone, "Yes, Hikari and I were just discussing some things. We've decided that he'll be living here from now on. During the day he'll probably be gone mostly, but in the evenings and at night he'll be here at all times."

The look on Teana's face was beyond comical. It was only through sheer willpower and self-control that neither Hikari nor Atemu burst out into laughter, though Hikari couldn't help but grin at the expression. He hid it by lying down on the bed, burying his face in his paws as best he could without making it look too suspicious.

Anger, shock, desperation, irritation, hatred, and a definite plea for someone to tell her that what had just been said was nothing but a joke were all fighting for dominance on Teana's face. "And, where will he be sleeping?" Teana's voice sounded quite stiff, obviously hiding a lot of emotions beneath the controlled tone.

Atemu wondered briefly if he could convince Hikari to sleep with him in the large bed since there was plenty of room but decided against it. If Teana really was to burst because he'd pushed too far she'd probably run back home crying, and her father would declare war even though he'd technically done nothing to offend Teana. With that in mind, he motioned towards the large pile of pillows and blankets, "Over there."

A slight note of relief spilled over Teana's face though it was quite obvious that she was really unhappy about the latest developments. Hikari, even though he knew very well that Atemu had no romantic feelings for Teana in any way, still felt a pang of jealousy that she could at least show her feelings for Atemu so openly when he was both too afraid to lose Atemu as a friend, and also knew it would be quite problematic for Atemu since there were a lot of princesses he should actually be choosing from. Whether Atemu might fall in love with him or not, he simply wasn't of the right status.

With that small pang, Yuugi stood up from the bed and walked over to Teana, breaking the silence he'd kept up with her at all time since he'd met her, _/ I'm sure we'll get along just fine. / _He faked a smile he was sure she wouldn't see through.

Teana stiffened at the words, momentarily confused at the mental contact before comprehending who exactly was speaking. Her stiff demeanour only became more tense at this realization as she also recognized a certain note of a challenge in the words. Well, if Hikari wanted to play it that way, she would just have to show him she was all Atemu really needed.

A smile just as faked at Hikari's yet just as believable came onto her face as he brushed a hand through the thick golden manes briefly, refusing to touch Hikari after that, "I'm sure we will, yes."

Atemu watched the exchange with a feeling of foreboding growing inside of him. He had the distinct feeling he'd just become part of something akin to a bet, and he didn't quite like where that idea was leading to.

'_I'm so screwed.'_**

* * *

If anyone is wondering what the hell is going on with Bakura, Mariku, Malik and Ryou… yeah, keep wondering XD They're not showing up yet. I have other things to take care of before I actually switch to those guys but I promise that will be getting screentime… at some point. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and Review!**


	10. Chapter 9: News

**Yosha! Ignore any wackiness my AN has today; I'cheery. I'm on bullit (energy drink) and I just got a step in my DBZ Tenkaichi Budokai 2 game after getting my ass kicked several times so I'm HAPPY! My love for the world is not really reflected in the chapter... but hey, this chap was written weeks ago so I have an excuse XDEnjoy people and R&R people!**

**--: 09 :--  
News**

Two whole weeks. It had been two utterly horrifying weeks. To some this was probably nothing and if you compared it to a human's lifespan it seemed so insignificant, really. To Teana though, the past two weeks had seemed longer than any period of time she'd ever gone through, not including the time when her father had nearly died. These two weeks came as a very close second to that occasion though.

In the two weeks that Hikari had started 'living' in the palace, Atemu had changed drastically. Not so much in the character department – because Atemu would never change from the person he was for anyone – but he'd become more absentminded. He seemed to be daydreaming more and more. And although his rule did not suffer, his attention for anything not including his country or Hikari was near to non-existent.

Teana scowled as she sat at the lunch table. She'd been trying to get Atemu's attention for quite some time now and still all he did was absently answer to yes or no questions. Any question asked that would require a longer answer was either ignored or simply not heard. Atemu was simply staring off into seemingly nothingness and no one but she seemed to care very much.

Seth, in fact, was smirking knowingly instead of scowling like he usually did.

Calming herself down and simply thanking any god that was listening that at least Hikari wasn't here currently, she put on a new smile and tried once more to get Atemu's attention. She refused to give up on the little challenge she and Hikari still had going, no matter how obvious it was that the lion had already won.

"So there haven't been any attacks lately?" She gained a nod and Atemu slowly brought another bite of food to his mouth, his eyes still unfocused and his thoughts obviously somewhere else.

"Well that's great; maybe Bakura and Mariku have finally given up." She smiled, trying her best to make Atemu look at her.

"Maybe." Teana would've screamed and would've gladly thrown a fit at the lack of attention but etiquette forbade it. Instead she glared at the amused look Seth threw her.

"It's not like you'll get any more out of him." She hissed at the brunette, by now having learned that whether she used manners or not, the High Priest wouldn't care. Her temper was all too happy to finally have an outlet though, so not using manners was far more appealing to her at the moment than using them.

Seth rolled his eyes and glanced over at Atemu, "Any word from Hikari?"

In less than a second of the name 'Hikari', Atemu's eyes focused and he looked at Seth attentively. Teana's jaw would've dropped if it wouldn't have been un-lady-like. "He's been scouting the desert for clues a lot but so far he's come up with nothing. He was gone this morning before I woke up though, so I wonder why he was in such a hurry."

Seth threw a quick smirk of victory at Teana who glared back in answer, before turning his attention back to the conversation with his cousin. He was about to answer when Jou entered the room with some food. His mouth instantly closed again as he stared at the blonde for a moment, cursing himself afterwards for once more losing his train of thought the moment Jou came in sight. The slight chuckle coming from Atemu as he noticed the immediate change in Seth wasn't quite helping either.

Two weeks of constantly having Jou around him had made it quite obvious to the brunette that his mere crush – as he'd thought it to be – had changed into plainly being in love with the other. The more he taunted Jou and tried to convince himself that since Jou hated him he should just give up, the more his emotions lashed out at him for being a jerk in the first place. If he wasn't as stubborn as he was he would've probably given in by now. Luckily for him, he had too much pride in him to simply surrender to some stupid feelings for someone that was far beneath him.

"Seth?" Seth snapped out of his thoughts and glared instantly at the amused look he was being given. "You're no better than I am, Atemu." The guilt that flashed on Atemu's face before it could be hidden spoke volumes.

Before another word could be spoken, Hikari rushed into the room, making everyone present at the table look at him. Teana gave a scandalized look at the rude entrance but no one else seemed to be very surprised. These types of entrances weren't uncommon when Hikari was in a rush.

"Hikari?" Atemu stood up from his chair as Hikari quickly walked closer, noting that Jou was still in the room and would therefore not have to be brought up to date later on.

_/ I found out some information. Can we talk/_ Hikari gave a quick look at Seth and Jou to make sure they too would come along.

Atemu nodded in silent agreement, he too giving a glance at Seth and Jou. Jou instantly left the room to put away the empty plates he was carrying and to slip away without anyone noticing. Seth gave a slight nod as he stood up.

"Pharaoh, is everything alright?" Atemu glanced at Shimon who had risen to his feet as well. Atemu mentally grimaced because he knew Shimon had been increasingly suspicious about what was going on. Shimon knew very well that he was being kept out of something and since he was the royal advisor, he obviously wasn't too happy about that. Atemu knew he should probably include the rest of his council on Hikari's secret to simplify things, but his friend was quite adamant about keeping the group who knew who he was as small as possible.

"Everything's fine, I'll be right back." Both Atemu and Seth left the room quickly to avoid further protests and questions, following after Hikari who had already started off towards Atemu's room. Meetings between them had been going on there for the two weeks that Hikari had lived there now simply because it was the safest place in the palace for Hikari to transform back into Yuugi.

"What do you think the rush is about?" Seth glanced aside at his cousin in question. "Do you think he might've found Bakura and Mariku's hideout?"

Atemu frowned, "Perhaps, though I'm just happy he's back. He hasn't been around much lately."

Seth chuckled and gave a wry smile, "How screwed are we exactly? Both falling for people who are probably out of our reach?"

Atemu grimaced and sighed, "Pretty screwed, though you might have a better chance with Jou if you'd stop acting like a jerk."

Seth snorted, "You know me better than that."

Atemu chuckled at the comment as they entered his bedroom – guards being send away for the moment to make sure no one would overhear them. They saw that Jou was already sitting on the bed, glancing up as they entered. Hikari quickly rushed behind his 'bed' as he released the magic for his transformation out of sight and put on his clothes, before coming back out and practically crashing onto Atemu's bed with a tired groan.

Atemu quickly made his way over to his friend, "How much sleep have you been getting?" he sat down next to Yuugi, beating Jou to it as the blonde had been about to shift closer to his friend.

Yuugi groaned again and closed his eyes, "Not much." He opened his eyes again and forced himself to sit up, "I'm too worried to sleep."

Atemu sighed and shook his head, "And that's why you're now tired and in desperate need of sleep. You're staying here and sleeping the rest of the day."

Yuugi gave a tired smile, "Yes Master." Atemu glared lightly at the comment but Yuugi chose to ignore it in favour of actually discussing why he'd dragged everyone to the room, "I found out some useful information today about Bakura and Mariku."

Atemu put his concern to the side for now to listen to this new bit of information, "What did you hear?"

Yuugi sighed, "For one, the reason why they always attack my hometown. Apparently people tend to think that if you can't even protect a village so close to you, you definitely can't defend anything that's further away. There are even those who think you simply won't defend the town because you don't care."

Seth scowled, "Typical, no one actually sees the amount of effort that's been put into defending that town or the others that are being attacked. It explains why so many people distrust you though, Atemu."

Atemu nodded in thought, "It does. And since most people still think I'm like my father, the thought isn't really all that strange."

Jou cocked his head to the side, "But you're nothin' like your father. I've been here for two weeks and I'll stake my life on that fact."

Atemu smiled, grateful that at least some people actually believed in him, "Thank you, but most people don't know me personally and until I prove once and for all that I'm not like my father in any way, which can probably only be done by winning this war and rebuilding Egypt completely, people will continue to doubt me no matter what."

Jou simply rolled his eyes at that and muttered darkly under his breath. Yuugi chuckled at the words that were too incoherent to actually understand, though the main point of what it was about was quite clear, "I remember you doubting Atemu like that just as much as other people still do so you have no right to speak."

Jou opened his mouth in protest before closing it again and sulking. Sadly it was true and he couldn't go against it. Yuugi simply grinned at his friend before turning his attention back to the entire group and continuing.

"On top of that, the reason why there haven't been any attacks at all since the one two weeks ago is apparently because Bakura and Mariku are planning something big. We've been expecting a full attack for a while now, and apparently it's coming very soon." Yuugi sighed, "I couldn't find out when exactly, but I don't think it'll take too much longer. They've already had two weeks to prepare so…"

The room fell quite silent at that announcement, everyone thinking about the news. Even though Seth and Atemu had seen it coming, it was still a shock to actually hear it as a certainty.

Atemu swallowed, not quite sure if he wanted his next question answered, "Anything else?"

Yuugi frowned in thought for a moment, seemingly hesitating before speaking again, "I don't know. I managed to talk to a few people who have actually been to Bakura and Mariku's hideout before. I couldn't get out of them where it was, but they did say strange things were going on there. No one would say exactly what was so strange but all said that both Bakura and Mariku sometimes seemed completely different people and that a strange voice could sometimes be heard. I don't know to believe that or not and it isn't really helpful, but I'm just telling you what I heard."

Atemu and Seth shared a look as Jou just shrugged. Although it sounded strange, it didn't seem really helpful to them. Atemu and Seth both shrugged as well.

"Well," Seth sighed, "I suppose we'll have to start preparing ourselves too. I'll go back to inform the others." He gave Atemu a meaningful look with a quick glance at Yuugi he was sure wouldn't be noticed, "Why don't you stay here and get some rest as well; you look terrible."

Although it wasn't completely true, Atemu did look tired since he too hadn't been sleeping too well. He was a lot more used to it though so it didn't bother him nearly as much as it was obviously bothering Yuugi. Still, it was a chance for Atemu to maybe get a bit closer to Yuugi and Seth knew that's what Atemu really wanted, whether he voiced it out loud or not.

Atemu hesitated for moment, torn between his duty as the Pharaoh and the prospect of just hanging around with Yuugi for a while and maybe getting some extra rest. At the slight glare Seth threw him for his hesitation he sighed in defeat, "Fine, but not too long. If we're going to prepare for this attack I do actually need to do something."

Seth nodded, "Good, Come on, Mutt."

Jou glared at the brunette, "Damn it, stop callin' me dat!" he rushed after Seth to start one of their usual arguments as both Yuugi and Atemu watched them go in amusement.

Yuugi lay back down on the bed with a tired sigh, closing his eyes since he could no longer keep them open even if he'd wanted to, "Rest…that sounds really good right now."

Atemu chuckled and lay down next to the other, one hand starting to run through Yuugi's hair in a soothing way out of habit. Even if he now knew Yuugi's human form, some habits simply didn't die down. He was so used to patting Hikari that he'd simply continued that with Yuugi. Yuugi didn't seem to mind much though. "Yes, rest does sound like a good idea though I really should get back to the council soon and-"

Yuugi rose up slightly and gave a slight glare and Atemu stopped mid-sentence, "Or I could just get some sleep for a bit…"

Yuugi smiled and lay back down, subconsciously nudging Atemu's hand to continue running through his hair, "Much better."

Atemu shook his head as he stared at Yuugi for a moment, the younger having closed his eyes again and actually seeming to purr softly at the touch. He hesitated for a moment before gentry pulling the other closer to him, Yuugi not protesting in the slightest and he snuggled closer without a word. Either he was already half asleep and had no idea what was going on, or Atemu might just have a chance with the other after all.

Atemu chose to believe the latter of those two options for the time being, even if it was maybe just because he needed a little hope to latch onto at this moment. Things were seeming dark enough as it was without him trying to depress himself. He could use some positive thinking.

With a content sigh, Atemu shifted a little to get more comfortable, resulting in Yuugi snuggling closer yet again and the younger teen's head coming to rest on Atemu's chest. Atemu looked at the sight for a moment longer, firmly noting that Yuugi's breathing hadn't evened out yet and he couldn't be asleep yet, before closing his own eyes and drifting off for some much needed rest.

Neither of the two noticed two wide blue eyes staring through the still slightly opened doors, shock and anger flashing through the depths and fighting for dominance.

Teana had excused herself from the table only moments after Atemu had left the room. Any questions about where she was going had been answered by a glare, and no one had bothered to ask any further. She'd quickly made her way to Atemu's room, putting her ear to the door so she could listen in. She'd silently listened to the conversation, frowning as she heard two voices she didn't recognize. She was sure one of them had to be Hikari, probably the one that didn't have a ridiculous accent to it.

After a while she'd heard Seth leaving and had quickly ducked out of sight, seeing him and some blond boy she recognized as one of the servants leaving and arguing. Something about Seth having called the blonde a 'Mutt' and the blonde saying that he wasn't one. She'd been shocked that Seth had actually continued the argument and hadn't just send the blonde off to prison at such a disrespectful tone, but the brunette seemed to be enjoying himself more than that he was actually offended or angry.

She'd stared at the two as they left, before walking back to the door that had been left slightly open this time. The shock that had still been in her system at seeing Seth in such an uncharacteristic way only increased as she looked into the room.

There was Atemu, lying on the bed with someone else. A boy that was probably only around 15 max, probably under that. The resemblance between Atemu and the boy was shocking, though still quite visible. She instantly recognized the voice when the boy spoke as one of the two that she hadn't recognized, and hearing it now without a door to muffle the sound, she also recognized it as the one she'd heard in her mind on those rare occasions that Hikari spoke to her.

Hikari, apparently, was nothing more than a child. One that didn't look like he could hurt a fly for that matter.

And he was lying with _her _Atemu.

Her eyes narrowed as she slowly moved away from the door, silently fuming about what she'd just seen. That was the person she'd been fighting with over Atemu? Worse than that, that was the person she'd been losing that fight to?! And why had he been lying practically on top of Atemu? What was he trying to do, take _her_ Atemu away from her? She was the one destined to be the queen of Egypt. To marry Atemu and rule side-by-side with him. _She,_ not some silly boy that had just happened to acquire some useful powers. She was the only one who would ever love Atemu with such passion!

Going over all the information she'd gotten by listening in on the conversation and with the feeling of jealousy and anger guiding her, Teana formed a plan in her mind that would let her win the little challenge between herself and Hikari once and for all without question. She'd become Atemu's wife no matter what, and she would do whatever it took to get to that position.

And if getting to that spot meant that she had to go through Hikari, she'd gladly do it. She'd do _anything. _

_   
_**Yes, raise your hands if you saw the Teana thing comeing. °sees several hands rise° I knew I was being predictable... oh well, I'm pretty sure none of you are complaining much since this will only increase her the aount of hate going around, which is actually a good thing in my opinion. Those who want to maim her, get in line cuz I'm gonna make myself even more happy by doing that myself!See you all next week and Review! °skips off happily to go maim Teana°**


	11. Chapter 10: Deal

**-: 10 :-  
Deal**

"Let me go damn it!" Ryou shook his head as he took a step back to avoid getting kicked by Malik's flailing legs. Another day, another failed attempt at escaping. And as usual it was Mariku to catch them. Ryou seriously considered the idea that Mariku continuously kept an eye on them just so he could catch them when they – or rather Malik – tried to escape again.

Well, catch Malik anyway.

Currently, Malik was trying to get out of the hold Mariku had on him. Mariku was trying to hold the younger bridal style but because Malik was squirming and thrashing so much you could hardly tell. Mariku was simply grinning happily though, apparently not caring whether Malik struggled or not, as long as he could hold the other.

"Aw, but Mariku doesn't want to let go." Mariku's grin widened as his grip tightened, forcing Malik to hold still. Malik glared up his look-alike.

"I don't care about what you want. I don't see you caring about what I want so why should I care what you want?" Mariku pouted at that.

Ryou sighed and shook his head. This was a normal ritual nowadays. Malik would drag him along on one of his escape attempts, Mariku would catch them, the two would argue, and they'd end up being put back in their 'room'. Bakura and Mariku didn't even bother with guards at their door anymore. Half the time they could just walk around the hideout freely without anyone trying to stop them. It was only when they got too close to the exit that they would be caught.

The amusing thing to this all was that Malik didn't even seem to try and actually get away by now. Ryou suspected that Mariku was actually getting to Malik and that his friend liked his look-alike a lot more than he was willing to admit. Malik had already admitted – though Ryou had had to drag it out of the other – that as long as Mariku wasn't discussing how he'd killed several people, he could be fun. Mariku seemed a completely different person here than he was while fighting.

And he wasn't the only one, actually.

Bakura, although the change in character was less, seemed to have a similar quirk to him. His sarcasm and cynicism stayed, though his completely sadistic nature lessened greatly. He was calmer, gentler even for lack of a better word. It really had been a shock when Ryou and Malik had realized what completely different people Bakura and Mariku actually were outside of fights.

"Come on," Ryou's attention snapped back to the duo in front of him as Mariku started moving back to the room they stayed in, "Time to go back to your room." Completely ignoring Malik's protests that Ryou wasn't coming along, Mariku hummed happily – a habit that only served to fuel Malik's anger usually – and walked back the way Malik and Ryou had come from.

Ryou blinked at the retreating forms and slowly disappearing voices, a somewhat amused look crossing his face even though he was slightly worried. For who he was worried he wasn't quite sure though.

Shaking his head and preparing to follow the other two, Ryou only now realized how strangely at ease he actually was in the hideout by now. When Malik and he had only just arrived he'd been terrified to a point where he refused to move even an inch. Now he was walking around freely to a certain point and was actually amused at Malik's denial. Shouldn't he be trying to get out now that Mariku was busy with Malik? Shouldn't he hate the people who had been fighting and hurting Yuugi all this time and had kidnapped them? Shouldn't he still be terrified of this place?

He gave a hesitant glance at the exit, wondering if he actually should try to escape now that he knew Mariku wouldn't stop him. Strangely enough he knew Malik would be fine and Mariku's strange obsession was something more than just a game. He wasn't quite sure why that had changed, but he knew it had.

He was about to actually give the idea a shot when he heard a muffled cry of what seemed to be frustration coming from a room close-by. Glancing at it, Ryou recognized it to be Bakura's bedroom. Curiosity getting the better of him, the white-haired teen walked over to the door and silently opened it a little so he could see inside without being seen himself. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Bakura was in the room, arguing with what seemed like the shadows themselves. Stranger than that, a whispering voice seemed to actually be answering from those same shadows. To top it all off, Bakura seemed to be having some kind of break-down, grief emanating from every fiber of his being as he kneeled on the ground, though not a single tear could be seen on the other's face.

"I know what he did, damn it! You don't have to keep reminding me of that!" Bakura glared, though it was obvious even he didn't quite know what exactly he was glaring at.

"Then cease your resistance and simply do as I command you to do." The shadows seemed to darken and a strange gleam appeared in Bakura's eyes, before the King of Thieves shook his head violently and regained his old expression, glaring once more even though it seemed to do nothing.

"I will not be controlled simply to gain more power." He rose from the ground, the grief that had been beaming off him before being replaced by anger, "Aknunkanon destroyed my village and Atemu will follow in his footsteps if we don't stop him. I know this and I don't need you to constantly tell me. I will destroy him by myself without that extra power!"

Ryou's eyes widened at the exclamation, a small gasp escaping him before he could stop himself. Bakura immediately turned to the door and spotted him. A strange sensation that something else was watching him from the shadows as well shot through Ryou. The teenager pushed away from the door, fear now gripping him. Although Bakura had been oddly nice to him the entire time since he'd opened up a little, he doubted that listening in on a conversation like that would give him a lot of bonus points.

"Kill him, no one must know of me." Ryou's eyes widened further at the whispered voice, the fear increasing greatly. Bakura's eyes merely shifted back to the shadows as he glared harshly.

"I just told you not to order me around." With a few steps Bakura had left the room, slamming the door angrily. The shadows around him shifted for a moment, darkening greatly before they calmed down again and regained their normal colors.

Ryou gulped and took a step back, not sure what to expect after Bakura - someone who had probably taken lives before and was trying to kill one of his best friends - had just been ordered to kill him. When Bakura looked at him though, it was merely with an annoyed look that, although it looked threatening, didn't seem murderous in any way.

"The next time you listen in on someone, I suggest you don't get caught. Don't do it again or he will kill you, no matter what anyone says." Ryou could've sworn he heard disdain for that idea in the other's voice as well as see it in his eyes, but it could've easily been his mind playing tricks on him as well.

"You're… not going to kill me?" Bakura rolled his eyes at the question.

"I would've killed you already if I was planning to do that. Don't repeat what you just saw, not even to that annoying friend of yours. If you do I _will_ find out and I might change my mind."

Ryou swallowed thickly again even though there seemed to be no real threat in Bakura's voice. He really didn't understand Bakura at all. He'd seen the older get furious with people about smaller things than this, and yet he simply gave a warning without getting angry at all now. Not that he minded - he just couldn't understand it.

Ryou shifted nervously, "Why don't you ever get angry with me? I've seen you get angry for things that weren't nearly as bad…" He shifted again, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer but curious to know at the same time. He wanted to know things about Bakura, and this had been the first time he'd ever gotten the chance to. His timing probably wasn't the best, but he doubted there was actually a good time in the situation he was in anyway.

Bakura stared at him for a bit, a look on his face that clearly showed that a debate was going on in his head. Ryou looked down to the ground nervously, unable to keep looking at the older as he stared back.

"Look at Mariku and your friend. You'll figure it out." With that Bakura turned and opened his door again, stepping back into the room without another word.

Ryou's head shot up as he stared, the logical part of his mind instantly providing him with the answer that since Mariku and Malik obviously liked each other, Bakura must mean something along those lines. The emotional part of his mind was yelling at him that it was a ridiculous idea though. Not only was it absurd that someone like Bakura would ever like him in such a way, he was also being held captive – even if they were permitted quite some freedom – and it was just impossible for something like that to happen.

And yet, at the very same time his heart rate quickened just a little more.

Ryou hated the person Bakura was when fighting. That Bakura terrified him and he wanted nothing to do with that side. The Bakura that Ryou had seen for the last two weeks, though, was a completely different story. As much as the Bakura he'd seen fighting against Yuugi scared him, that Bakura only half seemed real. For two weeks now he'd gotten to see a completely different Bakura that - in some weird way - had protected him.

Ryou silently, in the deepest recesses of mind, admitted that he liked that Bakura.

Before Bakura could close the door or Ryou could say another word, one of the people who seemed to be part of some kind of army of Bakura and Mariku's rushed into the hideout, an excited look on his face, "Sir! We caught someone that might interest you!"

Bakura turned back, an eyebrow raised at the rude entrance, "And who might that be?" He leaned against the doorframe, completely ignoring Ryou now.

"Princess Teana of Libya, sir. She was asking questions about you and Mariku and actually demanded to see you!"

Bakura's eyebrow rose higher at that, surprise visible on his face. It was a well-known fact that Princess Teana was staying with Atemu, trying to win the title of Queen of Egypt. Why would she demand to see him?

"Did you bring her here?" The man nodded.

"Yes, we blindfolded her so she wouldn't know where we are and circled the hideout a few times so it would seem like we were going much further than we actually were." The man grimaced, "She's been whining the entire way and is now yelling at the guards with her."

Bakura scowled, already seeing a very annoying conversation coming up, "Fine, bring her in. Even if she doesn't have anything important to say we'll still have a new hostage. Who knows what she means to Atemu."

The man nodded and rushed back to the entrance of the hideout to fetch Teana. Bakura turned his gaze back to Ryou.

"Go back to your room and send Mariku back." Ryou hesitated for a moment before nodding and quickly starting off in the direction of his room, feeling Bakura's eyes on him the entire time until he was out of sight.

Teana was brought in a moment after Ryou had disappeared out of sight, the girl demanding that her blindfold be taken off. The man guiding her winced as she yelled at him, rubbing his temple in annoyance and a clear showing that he was getting a headache. Bakura sighed in irritation.

"Take her blindfold away; let's hope she stops screaming then." Teana instantly shut up as she heard Bakura's voice, her head turning in the direction of the sound even though she couldn't see. Her blindfold was removed and she blinked a few times to get used to the new lighting, before glancing back at the man that had guided her.

"You should really learn how to behave around a princess of my standards. How dare you-"

Bakura decided to cut her off before she could start a rant; something she seemed quite good at, "He doesn't have to do anything. He obeys me - not you, dear Princess. Now what is it that you wanted to discuss with me."

Mariku entered the hallway at that moment with an annoyed look, not happy that he'd been torn away from Malik. He gained a curious look as he spotted Teana though, cocking his head to the side in question.

Teana gave the new arrival a brief look before focusing back on Bakura, "I have information that will probably interest you."

Bakura leaned back against the wall behind him in boredom, "Really, and what might you have to offer me? I doubt you're going to tell me you want to betray you dearest Atemu just because you might've had a fight with him.

Teana gave him an annoyed look at his disrespectful tone but continued nonetheless. "I know who Hikari is. I do believe you've been trying to find that out for the past year now so I think that should be interesting enough to you."

Bakura's interest was instantly piqued, the white-haired thief standing properly. Even Mariku gained a serious look on his face as he stepped next to Bakura.

"You're actually going to betray Atemu?" Bakura frowned, "Why would you do that?"

Teana narrowed her eyes, "It's none of your business, but if you must know, I can't stand that lion. He's been stealing all the attention away from me. He's stealing _my_ Atemu away from me. I'll give you any information I know about him. The only catch is that, since you'll no doubt win this little war between you and Atemu with that information - you'll leave Atemu alive and you'll let him and I live peacefully in Libya. I'll take him away from Egypt and he'll become my husband there. I'll make sure he never tries to take back the Egyptian throne and we'll all be happy. I just need you to get rid of that pesky lion for me."

Bakura stared at her before gaining a mocking look, "And what makes you think I'll keep to that promise, even if I do make it?" Mariku snickered next to him, obviously having a similar idea.

Teana merely narrowed her eyes at the two, "Egypt isn't in the best of states. When you win that battle against Atemu it'll be in an even worse state. If you don't keep to that promise, I'll make my father declare war on you and you'll easily be crushed. I'll make you pay for ever betraying me."

"And what if we just kill you now?" Mariku gained an eager gleam in his eyes. This girl was quite annoying and demanding, and he would gladly rid the world of her.

Teana glared at him, "If I go missing and Atemu has to say that I'm most likely dead, my father will attack out of revenge. There'll be a third party fighting over this country with troupes that haven't been waging war this entire time. I can assure you that you'll lose that fight."

Mariku's face dropped, obviously disappointed. Bakura gained a thoughtful look as he stared at Teana. "You hate the great 'saviour' that much?"

Teana snorted, "Atemu only pays attention to him. I've seen him in his human form twice now. The first time he was practically lying on top of Atemu as he slept and the second time I could practically feel the fact that he's in love with Atemu beaming off him. Atemu is _mine_. I can't have that lion ruining that."

On the inside, Bakura was laughing maniacally at the girl in front of him. If Atemu only had eyes for Hikari, than he would gain no interest in her when the cat was gone. On top of that, he'd seen the interaction between Hikari and Atemu. They worked completely in sync and could practically read each other's minds. If Atemu knew Hikari as a human as well, it wouldn't surprise him if Hikari wasn't the only one with a crush. Still, he could work with this deal. Even if he did let Atemu live for the time being to gain control of Egypt, he could attack Libya and kill Atemu later when Egypt's power was back.

He was fairly sure that Ryou and Malik knew Hikari personally, either as a human or as a lion. The confirmation of that fact would greatly help him though, and whether or not he'd take this deal, if he killed Atemu it would definitely start a war with Libya. This Princess definitely seemed pushy enough to sweet talk her father into a war just because Bakura had killed her 'soul mate'.

Glancing at Mariku as the other glanced at him too, and with that one look seemingly conveying all his thoughts, Bakura turned back to Teana with a smirk, "Fine, it's a deal. I'll make sure Atemu stays alive and his little cat dies. In exchange for that you tell me everything you know about Hikari."

Teana's demeanour changed completely, a bright smile now on her face as happiness beamed from her aura. Bakura mentally rolled his eyes at the change.

"Hikari's real name is Yuugi. You apparently have two of his friends here captive and he hasn't been sleeping much because he's too worried. He looks like a kid of maybe 15 summers, but I doubt he actually is with the way he acts at times. He looks a lot like Atemu only in a more innocent and child-like way, and his eyes are purple instead of red which is the same colour his hair is tipped in. He's been living in the palace but he's mostly not there during the day because he's scouting for clues to your whereabouts, and no one but Atemu, Seth, and another friend called Jou know of his human form." Teana paused for a moment, going over everything she'd learned over the past three days by observing Hikari, Atemu, Jou and Seth, before adding one more thing, "And although I'm not sure and it doesn't directly link to Hikari, Jou and Seth seem to have a thing going. Seth just seems a bit too happy when Jou's around and he stares too much."

Bakura raised an eyebrow, "Well that last fact might be useful later on, we'll see. I assume Hikari, or Yuugi or whatever asks around in his human form?"

Teana shrugged, "Probably, I doubt he'll get any useful information if he tries it in his lion form. I don't follow him around outside of the palace so I don't know for sure but it does seem logical."

"Anything else?" Mariku was now leaning against the wall, a bored look on his face. Winning the war was really more Bakura's thing. He just liked destroying things and Bakura had been a friend of his since they were kids and he'd found Bakura in the desert, nearly dying from thirst and without a home. The fact that they were friends was the main reason he was helping Bakura, though it was a nice bonus that he got to destroy things because of it.

Teana gave him an annoyed look at her information being handled with such rudeness. It had taken her quite a bit of effort to gather this much since Yuugi would only show himself if he was practically sure he was safe. "No, I already said he hadn't been sleeping much so you can imagine how tired he is. Atemu's been forcing him to rest more though because Hikari found out that you're planning to attack soon and everyone needs to be in top condition."

Bakura scowled at finding out that his plan for a full-scale attack had actually been found out. He'd hoped for the element of surprise but it seemed he'd just lost it. He'd continue nonetheless though; _he_ was becoming restless.

"Well then, I suggest you go back to the comfort of your palace then. I doubt Atemu, whether he likes you or not, will like the idea of you missing very much." He turned around to go back into his room like he'd been planning to do before she'd arrived, "I thank you for the information and I'll make sure your future husband will live to see another day after the fight." He glanced at Mariku briefly, "Mention the name Yuugi to our guests and see how they respond; I want to know for sure that he's their friend."

Mariku nodded and grinned, happy that he could go back to Malik now. He turned and happily walked back to the room where Malik and Ryou were staying in, once more humming to himself.

Bakura gave one more look behind him at Teana, and then focused on the man that had brought her in, "Blindfold her and take her back. Make sure she isn't recognized."

With that he closed the door behind him, hearing furious muttering coming from Teana, no doubt about the way she was being treated. He simply ignored it as he noticed the shadows in the room once more darkening.

"For once leave me alone and go bother someone else." There was a stab that shot through him as he growled, trying to hide his pain as much as possible.

"You will obey me, Mortal."

Bakura glared once more before sitting down on his bed, silently going over the information he'd just gained and any way that he could use it. He ignored the shadows around him as best he could, knowing that for now it was probably best not to argue.

**Yay, they got screen time! And it only took me… a lot of chapters! Go me! Anyone who still has no idea who the voice from the shadows is… wow, you guys really need a new brain. Now onwards to the preview and as usual, Review!**

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**Preview:**

Yuugi's magic burst free from him as a look of pure rage crossed his face and the shadows around him lashed out at the group surrounding him. The thieves that had been about to charge at him looked shocked at the sudden display of power, before the shadows around them consumed their souls without a second thought. One by one the men fell, all wide-eyed and without even the slightest chance at escaping. Yuugi watched it impassively, angered amethyst staring at the scene with a strange calmness that didn't reflect the incredible turmoil currently going on inside of Yuugi's mind. His own magic was boiling, releasing itself with great force and once more lashing out at him just like the time Ryou and Malik had just been kidnapped. Yuugi seemed strangely numb to the pain this time though, as if he couldn't feel it even though he knew it was there.

He stood slowly, the shadows around him roaming over the ground in chaotic patterns that should be impossible. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the man that had been speaking to him fall before him, a look of horror on his face as he lay there, motionless. "I'll get them back for this." Furious amethyst gazed in the direction of the palace, before the magic around Yuugi brightened, the entire street he was in being engulfed by golden magic. As it retreated, Hikari stood in place of Yuugi, ripped clothes falling to the ground as the still chaotic magic didn't seem to effect him in the slightest. All the stabs Hikari felt were ignored, anger numbing his sense of pain to a point where it plainly couldn't be felt.


	12. Chapter 11: Lies

**Well... a lot of you really do hate Teana more than you did before... Man I'm good XD So yeah, she really is a bitch for betraying Yuugi like that but might I all remind you that if something happens to her while she's in Egypt, Atemu will get blamed for it by her father and another war will start? My own hands are tied here v.v Anyway, on a much happier note, here's the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy and R&R!**

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**--: 11 :--  
Lies**

Malik let out a sigh of relief as Mariku left the room, the older sulking that he'd been called away by Bakura. Ryou looked after the older look-alike, before sitting down on his bed – the state of which had greatly improved since they'd gotten there – and gained a troubled look.

Now usually Malik would've started whining about how much he hated it that Mariku kept trying to get into his pants. Ryou would then argue that he secretly liked the other, and Malik would heatedly deny this. A huge argument would ensue that would end around the time that Ryou would roll his eyes in exasperation as Malik turned his back on the white-haired teen in stubborn denial. This is how it had been going on for the past week since Ryou got the strange notion that he actually liked Mariku.

Which was absurd. Sure, Mariku's somewhat child-like behavior at times could be considered cute on some plane and the other wasn't as bad as the Mariku he'd seen on the battle field, but he still couldn't stand the other. He'd kidnapped them, was currently keeping them hostage, and of course he couldn't forget that both Bakura and Mariku were trying to kill one of their best friends. It was absurd that he'd fall for someone like that.

Even if Mariku's behaviour was getting to him slightly.

At this moment though, Malik chose not to follow their usual ritual. It seemed Ryou was distracted by something and he doubted the other would actually contradict him in this state. He propped himself on his elbows, not wanting to sit up completely since he was quite comfortable on the bed. "What's wrong? I thought I was the one that was being annoyed."

Ryou glanced up, a distracted look on his face. "Nothing's wrong, just thinking." The fact that Ryou was lying was only half being concealed, and obviously the white-haired teen was actually too far in whatever it was that was bothering him to bother with hiding it.

Malik gave his friend a flat stare, "You've always been bad at lying but now you're not even trying. Spill."

Ryou hesitated for a moment, knowing that Bakura had just told him not to speak of what he'd seen. He figured it was more about that strange voice coming from the shadows than what he'd heard Bakura say about the Pharaoh though, so he supposed that part he could discuss with Malik. He wasn't quite sure if Bakura would actually find out if he discussed the voice as well, or how he thought Bakura was being influenced by someone, but he wasn't ready to try his luck quite yet.

"I overheard Bakura muttering to himself about the Pharaoh," He hesitated again as if expecting something bad to happen now that he'd said that, but nothing happened. "Do you think Yuugi's wrong and the Pharaoh is like his father?"

Malik rose an eyebrow at the strange question, "I doubt Yuugi would help the guy if he was as bad as his dad. Why?"

Ryou frowned, "It's something Bakura said. He said that Pharaoh Aknunkanon had destroyed his village when he was young and that Pharaoh Atemu is just the same."

Malik stared in shock for a minute, "Pharaoh Aknunkanon actually destroyed an entire village? Well, Yuugi did tell us he also sent out that guy to kill off the rebels, so why not kill an entire village!" He threw his hands in the air out of anger. "No wonder Bakura has issues with the royal family." He paused, "Though I doubt Pharaoh Atemu is like his dad if Yuugi says he's okay."

Ryou nodded, "Yeah, he seemed really nice with Yuugi." He gained a slightly amused look, "Even though you and Jou thought he was being disrespectful."

Malik rolled his eyes at that, "Jou thought it; I didn't really know what was going on. I was still somewhere in the shock that Yuugi was actually Hikari." He kept his voice down during that statement, afraid that if he spoke too loudly they might be overheard somehow. Nice or not nice, Bakura and Mariku were still trying to kill their friend so he wasn't planning on just giving them the information they wanted.

Ryou nodded again, his mind racing with heavy thoughts. Everyone knew Aknunkanon had been a bad Pharaoh, and of course many had suspected that Atemu would follow in his footsteps. Atemu had done nothing to confirm that suspicion though, and Bakura had seemed very certain about what he'd been saying. And that voice…

Ryou shivered lightly though he made sure Malik didn't notice it. That voice was very strange. Shadows couldn't speak so what had been hiding in those shadows? And since most of the rebels had decided to give Atemu a chance after he'd shown definite signs that he wasn't like his father, did that mean that creature was influencing Bakura, and probably Mariku too, to believe that Atemu was in fact like his father?

His mind flashed back to when Bakura's look had changed into one that seemed possessed, and Ryou once more shivered. That thing in the shadows had tried to take control of Bakura, he was sure of it. And although Bakura had said he didn't want to be controlled, Ryou couldn't help but wonder if the reason why Bakura and Mariku seemed so different while fighting was because their actions where being manipulated at those times.

If everything he'd just come up with was true, then the whole war between Bakura, Mariku and Atemu was far bigger probably. Something else was trying to get something out of this war, and he was using Bakura and Mariku to get it.

Especially Bakura, apparently.

For the first time in his life, Ryou really wanted to punch that person. That had seriously not been a thought that had ever crossed his mind; not even when Bakura and Mariku had first kidnapped him and Malik.

"Ryou?" Ryou snapped out of his dark thoughts, glancing up at a questioning looking Malik. He would've loved to tell Malik about what he'd just concluded to see if the other agreed with him, but that would mean he'd have to tell the other about the strange voice as well. He still wasn't quite sure if he wanted to test Bakura's words.

Giving a slight smile, Ryou was about to answer when the door to their room opened and a happily humming Mariku came in, plopping down on Malik's bad and pulling the other into his lap and hugging him, "Hello Malik-pretty, missed me?"

Malik, instantly forgetting his discussion with Ryou, scowled at the other, "No, it was nice and quiet. Can you go back to wherever you just came from and continue doing what you were just doing?"

Mariku pouted, "I can't, there was some lady that wanted to talk to Bakura and me but she's gone now. She said she knew who Hikari really was – someone named Yuugi – but Bakura just thinks she's crazy."

Even though it wasn't noticeable in his behaviour, Mariku carefully watched Malik and Ryou's reaction. Ryou's head snapped up at him a little too fast, though if he hadn't been paying as much attention as he had, he probably wouldn't have realized it. Malik's gaze shot to Ryou, a brief flash of shock shooting through the lavender orbs before it was hidden carefully.

Mentally smirking as the reactions confirmed that Teana had indeed spoken the truth and that Malik and Ryou knew Hikari as a human, Mariku simply continued as if he hadn't noticed anything, "Bakura sent her away because he thinks she was just trying to impress us." He grinned down at Malik again, "So now I can spend time with you again!"

Malik glared at him, though if you looked carefully you'd notice that the blonde seemed more distracted than usual. Mariku's mental smirk widened, though he didn't show any signs on the outside.

"I'm not 'Malik-pretty' damn it! And let me go!" Malik started to struggle to get out of Mariku's lap where he'd been sitting quite comfortably until then. Mariku brushed aside any thoughts of Hikari for the time being in favour of hugging Malik tightly so he couldn't escape and cuddling him happily. The war would for now have to wait; he could tell Bakura later what he'd just found out. For now, spending time with Malik was much more important to him.

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Yuugi checked around him again to make sure no one from the palace had followed him. No matter how comfortable that bed Atemu insisted he sleep on with him now was, he really couldn't just lie in bed all day just because he hadn't been sleeping too well lately. He had a feeling that if Atemu knew he'd just sneaked off yet again in hopes of finding more clues to the location of Bakura and Mariku's hideout, the Pharaoh would instantly send out half his army just to get him back in the palace.

With a sigh Yuugi started walking through the village of thieves he'd reached. Certain villages were known to harbor mostly criminals, and this was one of them. Yuugi usually wouldn't even dare to go near here, but places such as this were perfect places for supporters of Bakura and Mariku to hang out. He'd been in several villages like this during his search and although each of them gave him the creeps, it really was the best place to look.

He started to wander the streets, looking around curiously to see if he could find anyone that looked stupid enough to talk. After about half an hour of wandering, Yuugi stopped with a slight frown on his features.

No children were out on the streets, which was something he'd always seen in other towns. He could even hear young voices as he passed by some of the houses, so he knew there were children living there.

Also, the streets themselves seemed uncommonly calm. It was around noon by now so people should've been roaming the streets in masses. He'd barely seen anyone out, and those he did see quickly scurried off.

The feeling of unease he always had in these towns increased drastically and Yuugi glanced around nervously, feeling eyes on him even though he couldn't see anyone. Something was wrong here, and he really couldn't ignore the obvious signs of that anymore. He needed to get out of there before something happened.

He turned around, going back the way he'd come as fast as he could without making it seem like he was trying to get away from the town as soon as possible. He could be wrong – even though his senses were usually right – and drawing attention to himself would be a very bad thing in that case.

After a few minutes he passed by a large group of men. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up instantly, a warning shiver passing through him. Yuugi tensed greatly, only barely resisting the urge to whip around.

"Well, well, well, so it is true after all." Yuugi came to a stop at the sudden voice and hesitantly turning around, knowing that the person who'd spoken was talking to him. The feeling that something very bad was about to happen only increased, the need to get away as fast as possible so great he could barely make himself just stand there instead of running away at top speed.

The group of men were looking at him, smirks adorning most faces as others openly leered at him. The man closest to him, the one that had apparently also spoken before, gave a mocking grin, "The great Hikari really is nothing more than a child."

Yuugi's eyes widened as he instantly tensed, his body frozen in momentary shock. Forcing his body to move again, he whipped around, planning to run away before anything could happen, only to come face to face with more men that had suddenly appeared. Glancing around him, he noticed that he'd been surrounded completely with no way out. His shadow magic instantly lashed out to protect him, the shadows in his immediate vicinity shifting restlessly.

"What do you want from me?" He turned slowly, trying to keep an eye on as many of his attackers at the same time as possible, though his main attention was still focused on the man that seemed to be the leader of some kind of this group.

"Masters Bakura and Mariku have put out a vast reward for whoever captures Hikari." The man's grin widened, "And they've discovered that you're Hikari."

Once more Yuugi's eyes widened, though this time only slightly. How had Bakura and Mariku discovered that? Had they forced something out of Malik and Ryou after all? Well one thing was for sure, denying that he was Hikari would be quite pointless. It was obvious that these people knew for a certain fact that he was Hikari, and would only laugh at him if he tried to say differently.

He let his magic flow to a point where his transformation was nearly starting, wanting to be ready if anyone tried anything, "So you work for Bakura and Mariku?" The leader nodded, still grinning to a point where he seemed insane. "Then you must know what happened to my friends after those two took them." He couldn't help it. He needed to know what had been happening to them, even if he was hearing it from an unreliable source. He needed something.

The man raised an eyebrow, "Friends?" he gained a slightly thoughtful look, though his grin never left his face, before his face lit up in what seemed like realization and he spoke again, "Oh, those two runts they brought in." he snorted in a mocking way, "I doubt they're even still alive. Master Mariku loves to play around with his prey for a bit, but they usually end up dead within two days tops."

Yuugi froze, his entire body becoming numb and unfeeling. Two of his friends, two of the only people who had always been there in his life, were gone. Dead. And it was all his fault. He hadn't been able to protect them. He hadn't been there on time to save them. He hadn't been strong enough to break free of Mariku's grip on time.

He'd let them down.

The small voice in his head telling him that this man could just be lying to him went unheard, the much larger and louder voice yelling at him what a complete idiot he was echoing in his mind together with the man's words, repeating themselves over and over.

For a moment that seemed like an eternity, the entire world around him seemed to slow to a halt. Everything went silent, nothing moved, and Yuugi swore that for a moment, he thought he might've actually died from the shock. That was when the world came back into motion and the feeling to his body returned to him. The full blast of guilt hit him and he crumbled to his knees, uncaring that he was currently surrounded by people who wanted to kill him.

The man in front of him grinned sadistically, "What's wrong? Did they mean that much to you?" his mocking look increased, "Well, if the great savior of Egypt is in so much pain over his loss, let's put him out of his misery, shall we?"

Yuugi stared blankly for a moment, the words that were being said barely registering, until something clicked in his mind. He was the savior of Egypt, and if he died here, he would never be able to get back at Bakura and Mariku for killing his friends.

It might be his fault for not protecting his friends properly, but they were the ones who'd killed Malik and Ryou. His fault or not, he needed to make Bakura and Mariku pay for that.

Dying was not an option.

Yuugi's magic burst free from him as a look of pure rage crossed his face and the shadows around him lashed out at the group surrounding him. The thieves that had been about to charge at him looked shocked at the sudden display of power, before the shadows around them consumed their souls without a second thought. One by one the men fell, all wide-eyed and without even the slightest chance at escaping. Yuugi watched it impassively, angered amethyst staring at the scene with a strange calmness that didn't reflect the incredible turmoil currently going on inside of Yuugi's mind. His own magic was boiling, releasing itself with great force and once more lashing out at him just like the time Ryou and Malik had just been kidnapped. Yuugi seemed strangely numb to the pain this time though, as if he couldn't feel it even though he knew it was there.

He stood slowly, the shadows around him roaming over the ground in chaotic patterns that should be impossible. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the man that had been speaking to him fall before him, a look of horror on his face as he lay there, motionless. "I'll get them back for this." Furious amethyst gazed in the direction of the palace, before the magic around Yuugi brightened, the entire street he was in being engulfed by golden magic. As it retreated, Hikari stood in place of Yuugi, ripped clothes falling to the ground as the still chaotic magic didn't seem to effect him in the slightest. All the stabs Hikari felt were ignored, anger numbing his sense of pain to a point where it plainly couldn't be felt.

Not even giving the bodies around him a second glance, Hikari took off at top speed towards the palace. If he kept running at this speed, it wouldn't take him too long before he'd reach Atemu. When he reached Atemu, he could start planning his revenge. Atemu needed to know after all, and could probably help him.

It still took him a few hours before he reached the palace, even if he'd ran all the way at the highest speed he could muster. The usual exhaustion he felt when running so fast for a much shorter time even had been numbed just like the pain his still raging shadow magic caused, enabling him keep running even when he usually would've collapsed.

The two guards and the entrance gates looked shocked as he ran past, both heads turning instantly as he passed by, before they glanced at each other in wide-eyed shock. Hikari had been going too fast to actually see anything but a blur. Even without seeing the lion or the ability to sense Shadow Magic even the slightest though, they had still sensed that something was wrong. They couldn't quite place what was wrong or how they knew, but they knew for a very certain fact that something had happened to their feline ally; something very bad.

Hikari raced into the throne room, knowing Atemu would be there at that time and not caring if he had any guests. He didn't even bother to wait until the guards standing at the entrance doors had opened the doors completely; simply throwing the doors open himself without care. Atemu, who had been speaking to a peasant that had obviously come with a problem, looked up in surprise at the rude entrance. At seeing Hikari and sensing the aura the lion carried with him, he immediately stood up.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to postpone our meeting. Since you've come quite a ways I'll let you stay in one of our rooms until I can attend to your problem again. I truly am sorry." The peasant looked shocked at the sudden interruption and the appearance of a lion in the throne room, merely nodding numbly and letting himself be taken to his room by some servants.

Atemu, signalled for Seth to stay where he was wordlessly, the High Priest giving him an annoyed look but not moving an inch. Again without a word spoken he left the throne room, Hikari following him. All the High Priests but Seth glanced at each other in shock and question, though none tried to follow the duo that had just left. They had all sensed Hikari's aura and knew Atemu would be the only one to get through to the other.

Atemu lead the way to his room, holding the door open as Hikari entered and closing it behind him. He gave the other a worried look, feeling the extremely chaotic magic burning away at the other's aura, and no doubt hurting him. How Hikari was still maintaining his lion form without even the slightest show of pain was beyond him since the last time this had happened, Hikari had changed back to Yuugi as his control slipped away.

Hikari released his transformation, only vaguely registering that as his human form came back, the strain he'd been putting on his shadow magic became less. He still didn't register any of the pain it brought with it, even though somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it was there. He didn't care right now though; he needed to tell Atemu what he'd heard.

"Yuugi-"

"They killed them." Atemu stared for a moment, shocked that Yuugi had actually cut him off, and moments later because he started to comprehend what Yuugi meant. He walked over to Yuugi, intended to give the other a hug and completely ignoring the fact that the other was naked. Yuugi took a few steps back though, the look on his face strangely blank.

"We need to find Bakura and Mariku and kill them, now." Yuugi took another step back so he was out of reach of Atemu. He needed to make the other understand that he was fine; he just needed to avenge his friends.

Atemu stared for a moment, searching the usually open amethysts he loved for any sign of what was going on in the other's head. He found nothing. Not a single emotion could be read from the amethyst depths. Atemu felt strangely horrified at seeing such a look on Yuugi, and knew that no matter what the other might want him to believe or might even believe himself, he was not okay.

"Yuugi, are you okay?" He gave the other a worried look once more, but it only seemed to anger the other.

"I'm fine! We just need to find Bakura and Mariku and make them pay for what they did!" Yuugi glared, looking surprisingly intimidating at that moment. Why was Atemu wasting time? They needed to hurry up!

Atemu merely narrowed his eyes, used to all the glares from Seth so many times and not easily intimidated now. "Yuugi, your magic is a mess, you look more dead than alive, and you're telling me you're okay?" Atemu gave him a mocking look, "Please, you're anything but okay."

Yuugi narrowed his eyes as well, "I said I'm fine! I just need to find Bakura and Mariku and-"

"Kill them?" Atemu's glare grew, "The Yuugi I know doesn't think like that. He would rather spare the lives of those two if they couldn't do anymore harm than kill them."

"Well you don't know me that well then! The people who did know me that well just died and you're not doing anything!" Yuugi sank to the ground, tears finally streaming down his face as he broke down. The full force of two of his best friends dying finally hit him, and with that realization he finally broke down.

He would never get to see Malik and Ryou again. Never again would Malik pull pranks on people. Never again would Ryou scold him for doing that. Never again would Malik mockingly blow his white-haired friend off after the scolding as if it was nothing.

Never again would he see them.

Pain finally hit him as well as the numbness that had been holding his body finally left. Exhaustion spread through his body from the long way he'd ran as all the pain his own shadow magic had caused and was still causing coursed through his veins. His body shook with sobs and trembled with pain, but Yuugi couldn't stop himself anymore.

Atemu stepped over and pulled Yuugi into his arms, whispering sweet nothingness as he tried to comfort the other at least a little. He knew the other hadn't meant what he'd just said and that he'd just burst after apparently trying to keep all of his real emotions bottled up.

It took a long time before Yuugi finally stopped crying, though his body continued to shake, Atemu pulled away slightly to look at the other, but Yuugi clung to him tightly, "Please, don't go." His grip became even tighter and Atemu could nearly feel his heart breaking at the completely lost tone in the other's voice.

He picked the other up bridal style and carried him over to the bed, never once complaining about the death-grip Yuugi had on him. He lay down, keeping Yuugi close to him and softly humming a song he vaguely remembered his mother singing for him whenever he wouldn't be able to sleep. Slowly he felt Yuugi falling asleep, though the younger's body still shook even after he'd drifted off. Atemu simply held the younger closer to him, refusing to move an inch away from Yuugi until the other was awake again, and hopefully a bit more alright.

* * *

**Uhm... so yeah, lots and lots of drama! I had to completely rewrite the part where Hikari goes all mental cuz he thinks Malik and Ryou were killed so I hope it turned out better than it was. The first time it was crap. Plainly crap I tell you all. Well, hope ou all liked and Review folks!**


	13. Chapter 12: Time for Action

**Well, I see you all love drama °sweatdrops° Makes me think I probably should use more of it... but meh, I think you'll all prefer what I have in this chap over drama anyway °grins° So, I hope you all enjoy the chap and R&R!**

* * *

**--: 12 :--  
****Time For Action**

Yuugi groaned as sleep left him and a splitting headache made itself known. Not only that, but his entire body was hurting like he'd been in a hard fight with both Bakura and Mariku only seconds ago. Even worse was that his Shadow Magic wasn't doing anything to heal whatever injury was causing the pain.

He felt something comforting tighten around him and he snuggled into the warmth he was lying on, for a moment a content sigh escaping his mouth, until he realized that none of the pillows or mattresses or anything he'd ever lain on before was as warm as this. He frowned for a moment before everything that had happened before he fell asleep rushed back to him.

Yuugi's eyes snapped open, emotions flooding back into him and his Shadow Magic even now flaring slightly against the sudden amount of feelings. It barely registered through the pain his body was already in though, so Yuugi easily ignored it.

He looked up into concerned rubies, noting that he was lying in Atemu's arms and had been lying there for quite some time because Ra had moved quite a bit in the sky. He blushed slightly, but refused to move even an inch in his current state. He might be able to move, but it would hurt like Hell.

"Are you okay?" Yuugi looked away from the other's face, guilt once more washing over him in large amounts.

"I let them down. I was supposed to protect them and I didn't." There was a pause for a moment before he felt a finger under his chin, lifting his face up so he had no choice but to look at Atemu again.

"It was their choice to stay and not run, Yuugi. You tried to save them but you simply couldn't. Can you honestly say that you didn't give it your all at that moment to try and stop Bakura and Mariku from taking your friends?"

Yuugi stayed silent for a second, the memory of that day flooding back to him. He bit his lip before shaking his head. No, he'd tried with all his might to get out of Mariku's grip. The other's Shadow Magic had barely been strong enough to keep him down so he knew he'd been putting up quite a fight. His all simply hadn't been enough.

As if reading the other's mind, Atemu interrupted Yuugi's train of thought before he could even voice it, "You aren't weak either. I think a lot of people would've given up on their friends the very moment they were taken. You're a true friend for still trying to find them." He paused for a moment in thought before continuing, "Who told you Malik and Ryou had been killed?"

Yuugi leaned into the hand that had been previously holding his chin up and was now gently stroking his cheek in a soothing way, "One of the people I came across. He said Mariku's 'toys' usually don't last longer than a few days." He closed his eyes, trying to hold back more tears.

Atemu frowned, "I doubt it's actually true. Bakura would never let Mariku kill those two off for fun; they need them alive if they want to force you into anything."

The voice that had been saying the same thing but had been too soft to hear before when he'd first heard the news now came back with a vengeance, practically yelling at him that he should've listened. Yuugi attempted to ignore it, but it was yelling so loud it was actually making his headache worse, "Still… it could not be true but-"

"No 'but's, Yuugi. Yes, it could be true but the odds of that being the case are slim. Bakura is smarter than that." Atemu gave a light smirk, "Mariku might be stupid enough to do that, but not Bakura."

Yuugi chuckled slightly despite himself and looked at the other again, only now seeing how close they actually were. Their faces were mere inches apart, Atemu's hand still caressing his cheek gently. For the slightest of moments Yuugi considered just leaning forward and damning the consequences his action might have. To - for once - not bottle everything up inside and to act on impulse. To, as strange as it sounded, be more like Teana and be more forward. The moment passed before Yuugi could even consider actually going through with it, the consequences that one movement could have crashing down on him.

Atemu noted the brief flash of emotion though, their faces so close that it was hard to miss it actually. The spark of hope that had been lit a few days ago grew, his ability to read Yuugi like an open book making it a lot easier to see what that brief flash had actually been; desire. And if he was right about that, then he really did have a chance with Yuugi.

A pretty big one at that.

Even with the knowledge that Yuugi had just gone through an emotional breakdown and that it was probably wrong to take advantage of him now in case he had misread the other, Atemu leaned forward and pressed his lips to Yuugi's gently, giving the other a clear opportunity to get away from him. Yuugi's eyes widened for a moment before closing, lips pressing back against his firmly. Atemu's eyes closed instantly as well, deepening the kiss further.

Tongues fought, hands wandered, and only now did Yuugi fully realize that he had no clothes on. He couldn't care less about it right now though and if there had been any good time not to be wearing clothes; it would've probably been at that moment. He pressed himself closer to Atemu, soft purrs and moans escaping him as he melted into the kiss.

Atemu didn't pull back until several minutes later, his breathing now harsh and a smirk on his features. Yuugi took a moment longer to snap back to reality, though he blushed brightly when he finally did and his mind fully understood what had just happened.

"Well," Atemu's smirk widened, "I'd say Teana can go home now."

Yuugi chuckled at the comment and grinned, "About time. I won ages back but she still hasn't given up."

Atemu gave a slight mocking pout, "I still don't know how I feel about being used as something you challenged her over."

Yuugi grinned innocently, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't."

Before another thing could be said, Yuugi hopped off the bed and walked over the mountain of pillows, the pain shooting through his body somehow less than it had been before and now bearable. Atemu blinked at the sudden action. "Yuugi?"

Yuugi disappeared behind the mountain before answering in a sheepish tone, "I want to get some clothes on since I ripped the ones I was wearing…"

Atemu pouted for real this time; he had been quite enjoying his view.

* * *

There were few good things in Jou's life really. His dad tended to try and make his life as miserable as possible so his home situation wasn't great. It sucked, really. It was the reason why he spent as much time as possible outside of his house with his friends. His friends were one of those few things that made his life worthwhile, and even though things had definitely improved for him since he'd come to live in the palace, he still couldn't stand the idea of one of his friends getting hurt. Sadly that had already happened to two of them, but the solution to that problem was a work in progress. Still there was still one of his friends left and he'd rather die than do nothing as the other got hurt.

So when Seth came to him when he'd managed to sneak out and told him that Yuugi had rushed into the palace completely freaked out he freaked himself.

"What's wrong with him? Was he hurt? What happened?" Jou instantly turned to walk into the direction of Atemu's room where he knew he would find his friend but was stopped by Seth pulling him back. He glared at the High Priest, not in the mood for one of their usual arguments, even though he enjoyed those greatly.

"Atemu is with him and his shadow magic has stopped lashing out at everything so he should be fine. Leave them." Jou slapped the hand that was holding him back away, glaring defiantly at the other. Yes, he had to admit that Seth was handsome, their arguments were fun, and that when the other so choose to show his soft side he'd kill to be the other's lover, but right now he really needed to see his friend to make sure the other was okay.

"Look, I don't expect you ta get dat I wanna make sure for myself dat he's okay, but at least try ta stay outta it." He turned once again to leave only to be stopped again. He turned once more to glare into calm sapphires, the other's calmness only sparking his temper more.

"Let me spell this out for you since you don't quite seem to understand this yet. Those two are very obviously in love and the more we leave them alone, the more chances they get to actually get together. I'm sick of having a love-sick Atemu daydreaming the entire day and since Yuugi's aura feels fine, you really don't need to go check. Now stay put and be happy I even bothered to tell you this." Jou stared for a moment before finally snapping, a lot of pent up anger towards everything that had gone wrong in his entire life coming out at the same time even though Seth couldn't do anything about most of it.

"You think you know everythin' and are so much better than me just 'cause you're a priest and have powers and I'm just a commoner and can do nothin'? I've known Yuug way longer than Atemu has so I have da right to check up on him if somethin' happens! Somethin' happened so I get ta check! You can't stop me just 'cause you're of a higher class and you're better than me 'cause you're not! I'm just as good as you are so get off my case! You're always judging me, criticizing me, puttin' me down and damn it, I'm sick and tired of it! _Just leave me alone for once or get a life!_"

Seth was rendered speechless for a moment, never having expected an outburst like that from the other. Had he really been that bad to the other just to try and get rid of his feelings? Something that he failed miserably at even. The part of him that had been yelling at him for being such a jerk only screamed louder.

There was silence as Jou glared fiercely and Seth merely stared in something that Jou vaguely recognized as shock, though the brunette was doing quite a good job at hiding it. The shock disappeared from the other's face. Jou half expected to be punched or at least yelled at but instead Seth simply stepped closer, the grip he still had on Jou tightening to make sure he wouldn't run off. Jou's anger briefly disappeared to make room for confusion at such a strange reaction, only to have that replaced by shock as soon as he felt Seth kiss him.

Before he had even processed what had happened fully, Seth pulled away and looked him straight in the eye. "I don't kiss people I think are below me. Leave Yuugi and Atemu alone for a while; you'll see him later."

Without another word Seth let go and turned around, walking away as if nothing had just happened. Jou stared, still frozen in shock. Seth, the person who he had been arguing with for over two weeks now and had seemed closer to hating him than anything else, had just kissed him. Sure, there had been those moments where Seth had gotten him out of trouble if he did something wrong and where he had been surprisingly nice, but most of the time they just argued. And now the other was walking away like nothing had happened?

Snapping out of his shock, Jou quickly rushed after the High Priest to catch up. "Hey! You don't just kiss a guy and den walk away! Especially not you since you're not da type to kiss _anyone!_" Jou grabbed the other's shoulder to stop him this time.

Seth turned, mentally kicking himself for his action. Spur of the moment actions really weren't his thing and he made a mental note never to do it again. "What do you want?" He mentally winced at the coldness of his own tone. He really should work on that too.

Jou scowled at him, "You kiss me and you just expect ta walk away like dat? What da hell did you even bother kissin' me for den?"

Seth sighed in frustration, rubbing his temple and trying to avert the headache that was no doubt coming. He was not the type for showing emotions but this whole situation with Jou was getting to him. Two weeks of bottling his feelings for the others up while he had no experience with this in the first place really wasn't something he'd enjoyed, but now that he had actually acted on his emotions he had a feeling it was only going to get worse for him.

"Well?" Seth scowled back the impatient blonde in front of him. Really, what was he supposed to say in a situation like this? The blonde might be a bit dense, but the fact that he'd kissed him really should've said more than enough.

"I would've thought I'd just made it obvious. Are you really even dumber than even I thought?" Both teens' scowls turned to glares at that, Jou because he was already annoyed and had just been insulted _again_, and Seth because he plainly wasn't comfortable with this situation and was trying to hide it behind his usual façade.

"I just yelled at you about what a jerk you've been all dis time and den you kiss me outta da blue and I'm supposed ta get what possessed you to do dat?! Do I look psychic to you?! 'Cause lemme tell you, I-"

Before Jou's rant could continue, Seth once more crushed his lips to the blonde's, more forceful this time as he pushed the other against a wall. Jou's eyes widened in shock once more, staring in utter disbelief for a moment, before finally just giving up on trying to figure the brunette out and closing his eyes, responding to the kiss as he wrapped his arms around the other's neck. Seth would no doubt always be a mystery to him, but right now he really didn't care much.

It was several long moments before Seth pulled away, his mind slightly dazed since Jou had actually responded to the kiss and was currently clinging to him like there would be no tomorrow if he ever let go. Impulses, he decided, weren't always bad. Not if they led to this anyway. He just hoped Jou would finally put one and one together now.

Jou took a second to gather his thoughts again before looking into Seth's eyes with a mock glare, "Y'know, tellin' me ya liked me would've been easier."

Seth rolled his eyes at the statement, "After two weeks you should know me better than that."

Jou grinned sheepishly, still not letting go of the other, "True, but I've just decided ta stop tryin' to figure you out 'cause it's impossible."

Seth smirked and a silence fell, neither really knowing what to say or do now. Jou suddenly grinned up at the other, Seth instantly becoming more apprehensive, though he crushed the urge to run as far away for the other as possible.

Jou simply ignored the sudden apprehensive look on the brunette's face and smiled innocently, "Seth?"

Seth's apprehensiveness only grew, "What?"

Jou's innocent look changed to the infamous puppy-dog eyes Seth had heard Hikari talk about in the past, though until now he'd had no idea that the friend Hikari had referred to on those occasions had been Jou, "Can I please go see Yuug now?"

Seth stared blankly for a moment, having completely forgotten about that and trying his best to ignore the begging eyes looking at him. It only lasted a few seconds before he caved, mentally swearing that nothing in existence could ever resist those eyes.

"Fine."

* * *

Shimon was a patient man in most cases. He had all the patience in the world when it came to the meetings he and the rest of the council had to sit through. He didn't snap when someone made a mistake and in case that was a servant, he would usually take the time to explain what was wrong, how it could be solved, and how it could be prevented from happening again.

Now however, his patience was running thin. Atemu had always been someone who would keep things to himself, and Shimon respected that. This time it involved Egypt though, and Atemu keeping things to himself when it came to the country was a very bad thing.

It had of course all started when Hikari had shown up. Shimon was immensely grateful for all the help the lion had offered them and from those times he had actually spoken to Hikari, he liked the other a lot. Atemu had just taken such a liking to him that he talked to Hikari more than with his own council. Something he wouldn't mind that much if Atemu just told the rest of them what he told Hikari as well, but Shimon had a feeling that Hikari knew far more of the current situation than he did.

Over the last week it had gotten even worse – something he hadn't thought possible. Hikari had spent several days at the palace recovering from some sort of injury, but when Atemu was asked what was wrong with the other, Atemu simply brushed it off, saying it was nothing and Hikari would be okay in no time.

Also, Atemu had started spending every second he was free with the other instead of with Teana. Now Shimon knew Atemu had no feelings for the brunette princess, but treating her the way he was could lead to serious complications between Libya and Egypt if the girl ever got enough of it and would go back to her father to complain. He didn't care much for the girl – she really was quite annoying – but another war would be disastrous to put it lightly.

The only good thing that had happened over the last week was that Atemu had stopped daydreaming so much. He paid more attention to what was going on around him and seemed pretty much his old self again. Shimon couldn't prove it of course, but the extensive amount of time Atemu suddenly demanded to spend with Hikari and the distinct sounds that could sometimes be heard coming from his room definitely implied that Atemu knew who Hikari was in his human form, and was enjoying that form quite a bit. Yet another thing Atemu wouldn't say a thing about, but that was his business really. Shimon didn't really care what happened in Atemu's love life as long as the other was happy and still ruled Egypt like he was supposed to.

The weirdest thing that had happened over the last week had to have been Seth's surprisingly content and – for lack of a better term – happy behaviour. Shimon was pretty sure he too had finally found someone though for the life of him he didn't know who.

Or wanted to know, quite frankly. He just felt very sorry for the person since Seth could be quite temperamental.

The worst thing that had happened were the reports of troops most likely belonging to Bakura and Mariku gathering in several town known for harbouring criminals. He was just very happy that Hikari had found out about the upcoming attack so early, or they might've missed the slight signs of that attack. Now they were prepared themselves and although he was very sure Bakura and Mariku were also keeping a close eye on them, they were ready for a battle as soon as it came. And it could come any time now. It had been almost two weeks now since Hikari had warned them of the attack and he knew that the two desert inhabitants were either ready to attack or close to it. For all he knew it could happen at that very instant, but he was praying with all his might that it would be another few days. They might be ready, but a bit more preparation was never a bad thing in a situations like this.

He really should've been praying harder.

"Your Majesty!" A soldier burst into the meeting room Shimon and the rest of the council were debating tactics in. Everyone's attention instantly snapped to the frantic looking man, none bothering to comment on his entrance and all worrying about why the man had burst in so suddenly.

"What is it?" Atemu rose from his seat, a worried look in his eyes as he feared the worst possible news.

The soldier tried to bow in respect as quickly as possible without wasting too much time, before looking up at his ruler, "The attack, my Lord. It's happening!"

* * *

**Okay, so has anyone beside S2 caught the irony behind this all? I mean, Teana goes off to tell Bakura and Mariku who Hikari is so they can kill him and she only ends up pushing them together XD I love irony... this type of it anyway. Well, I'm having some problems with the story since I hate writing fighting scenes and you can all guess what's gonna happen next chap, but I'm still managing somehow. Don't expect too much out of it though; I'm really not that great at it. Well, hope you enjoyed and Review folks!**


	14. Chapter 13: War

**Well, I see you're all still as fond of my cliffhangers as always XD Yes, I****'m evil for leaving it there. I'm more evil for not picking up where I left off last chapter °grins° don't worry though, I'm sure you'll all just **_**love**_** the chap °coughs° so, R&R folks! ****

* * *

**

**--: 13 :-  
War**

Bakura growled as he glared at the shadows shifting around him. He once again tried to ignore them as he got ready for the upcoming fight that would most likely end the war, though he was becoming more annoyed by the minute. _He_ wasn't leaving him alone one bit today. _He _kept trying to draw attention to himself, obviously annoyed at one thing or another. The slight stabs he could feel from time to time proved that much. Bakura even had a pretty good idea why _he_ was annoyed, but didn't really feel like getting into it. Still the more his annoyance rose, the more the urge to whip around and yell grew.

A few more moments and Bakura finally snapped, whirling around and glaring at the wall where the darkest shadows roamed. He still wasn't quite sure where he was supposed to glare at but that patch of shadows seemed very appealing to him right now.

"Would you leave me alone for Ra's sake?! I'm trying to get ready and you stabbing me with your shadows really isn't helping much!"

The feeling that something was glaring at him furiously washed over Bakura, and he was wise enough to know it was probably real and not just his mind playing tricks on him. _He_ was angry and glaring at him right now.

"Use them."

Bakura rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I've already told you that I'm not going to use those two to blackmail Atemu and that damned cat into anything. Stop whining about it."

A particular hard stab followed his statement, but Bakura refused to show it had hurt. He remained impassive as if he hadn't just been stabbed by shadow magic.

"Your feelings for the boy are clouding your judgement. _Use them_."

"I said no!" Bakura grit his teeth in anger, "I will not use Ryou and I'm pretty sure Mariku will say the same about that loudmouth crush of his. We can beat those two idiots without blackmail." He turned around and started for the door, planning to leave the conversation there.

For a moment the glare he could feel on him intensified to a point where it felt like it was actually burning his skin. Before he could turn around or do anything though, the shadows around him shifted again, more chaotically than ever now. Bakura briefly registered that this only happened when extremely powerful attacks were being formed and only thanks to his reflexes was he on time to defend his mind against what was coming.

Bakura had to use all his magic to deflect the pressure _he_ was suddenly putting on his mind. There had been times before that _he_ had tried to take over his body, but never before with this much force. Obviously this was not just a matter of disobedience anymore, and _he _was really trying to gain control of his body this time.

And come to think of it, that would solve all the issues _he_ had in an instant.

With a groan Bakura tried his best to stay in control of his own body, to not let his mind be taken over. Sadly though, the enormous amount of power that was being used to invade his mind was too much, and in a matter of moments Bakura crumpled to the ground just in front of the door, grabbing his head as if that would make everything stop. A few moments more and his hands simply fell limply to his sides, Bakura slowly rising to his feet again.

As the white-haired King of Thieves looked up, his usually russet eyes were a completely crimson colour. The eerie look of one being possessed was barely noticeable though, and the being now in control of Bakura's body only gave himself a quick look-over to make sure he was ready before leaving the room.

Mariku was already waiting outside, leaning against the wall with an obvious bored look on his face. He glanced up and grinned as his long-time friend approached, "All ready to go kick some Pharaoh butt?"

Bakura gave him a quick glance before turning to some of the minions that had easily been persuaded to fight for their goal, "You, I want you to go get the two prisoners. Make sure they can't run away or do much of anything really."

The men nodded and quickly ran off to do as they'd been told. Mariku stared at his friend in momentary disbelief, before recovering and glaring at the other, "Didn't we decide not to use Malik-pretty and Ryou?"

Bakura shrugged, obviously not caring, "They're our trump card. Threatening them or maybe killing one off might make that damned Pharaoh more cooperative."

Mariku glared more harshly, "We can't use them like that! You said so yourself last-"

"I said a lot of things that don't matter anymore." Bakura glared back at his partner, "Now hush and leave the thinking to me."

Before another word could be said, Malik and Ryou were brought in. Ryou glanced around nervously, not knowing what was going on, as Malik tried to struggle against the ropes that were binding his hands behind his back. The ropes were so tight they were cutting his skin even without him even trying to move them, but that didn't stop him from trying to get out of them.

"Good now let's go. I don't care how you drag those two along but keep them out of sight for now." Bakura smirked again, only more sadistic than ever before. Ryou only took one look at this Bakura before biting his lip, instantly knowing what was happening.

That look was a lot like how Bakura had looked the day they were kidnapped, though this time it was even worse. One look at the other's eyes and Ryou knew for a certain fact that this was not Bakura, but someone else completely.

And he had a very good idea who it was.

That day now almost a week ago flooded back to his mind, the day he'd seen Bakura struggling not to be taken over by that being in the shadows. Apparently that being had won this time, taking over Bakura's body completely

Bakura walked towards the exit of the cave they'd stayed in for quite some time now, Mariku following with a death glare that would frighten any other man to death. Ryou glanced nervously at Malik, trying to decide whether or not to tell the other what he really knew as they were roughly dragged along, before deciding that since Bakura wasn't there anymore, the other really couldn't do anything even if he did say something.

Sad, but true.

Before they had so much as been thrown onto a horse to be dragged along to what seemed to be the battle for Egypt, Malik was fully up to date on everything that Ryou thought was going on. The blonde stared in slight shock at the two leaders of the rebels, everything that had happened now falling into place. Still, they couldn't do much. The only thing it did for him right now was lessen the guilt that had been rooted deep inside him together with his denied feelings for Mariku. If his look-alike really was being controlled or manipulated , and his anger right now really was aimed at them being used in this way, he really couldn't say that Mariku was such a bad guy anymore. Crazy, definitely. But not really that bad.

"We have to stop… that thing." He muttered to his friend, trying to stay as close as possible to the other as long as he could before he'd be dragged off to some horse to be brought to the battle field.

Ryou gave the blonde a hopeless look, "But what? If Bakura couldn't stop that thing from taking over… what are we supposed to do?"

Malik gritted his teeth, completely blank on the answer to that question himself. He glared at the man hoisting him away from Ryou and towards the horse he'd be on for quite some time, though he was powerless to do much with his hands being bound so tightly. He was now determined to get to the bottom to this though, and if Ryou turned out to be right he was going to kill that thing that was currently possessing Bakura and influencing Mariku.

* * *

Atemu rushed to his room, ignoring the state of panic that the palace was now in. Even though they'd known the attack could come at any minute, the fact that it was actually happening was still somewhat of a shock. Perhaps the mostly peaceful time he'd had – attack-wise, anyway – had instilled some kind of fake feeling of safety deep down inside him. Now, however, that feeling was completely gone of course.

As he rushed into his room, Yuugi looked up from the windowsill he'd been sitting in, surprised at Atemu's early return as well as the way in which he'd stormed in. He gave a questioning look at the other, "Atemu? Something wrong?"

Atemu straightened as he gave the other a serious look, "It's started. Bakura and Mariku are attacking."

Within no time Yuugi had gotten up and discarded his clothing, his skin already glowing with the faint shine of magic. Before Atemu knew it Hikari was already standing next to him, his body tensed as if he could be attacked at any minute even though they were still safe within the palace.

_/ Where are they? /_

"To the North, still pretty far away. I think they were trying to get as close to the palace as possible but since we had spies keeping a close eye on all the towns their forces were gathering in, we were able to stop them still quite a ways away." Atemu ran a hand through his hair, "Guess it's finally time huh?"

Hikari grimaced, _/ I guess so… Though I had hoped they'd cancel their plans or something. /_

With a nod of agreement Atemu took his seat on Hikari, the lion instantly racing through the palace halls as fast as he could without throwing Atemu off. They were out of the palace in less than a minute, Hikari speeding up and Atemu bracing himself more. Atemu knew that his army was probably already there, fighting off Bakura and Mariku's forces. If Bakura and Mariku were already present though, none of them would stand a chance, so they really needed to hurry up.

By the time they reached the battle field, they could clearly feel the signs of Shadow Magic around them. Obviously Bakura and Mariku were there and had wasted no time in starting to kill Atemu's forces. Hikari jumped over several dead bodies before he and Atemu caught sight of the two. Some of the desert inhabitants' men tried to jump at them with swords, through they were easily deflected by a simple small blast of Shadow Magic from Atemu as he covered for Hikari.

Both Bakura and Mariku grinned and stopped their assault on the other men that were fighting around them as they saw Atemu and Hikari arrive, the two paying full attention to every movement that was being made. Atemu got off Hikari, the lion glaring dangerously at the two in front of him.

_/ Where are Ryou and Malik?!_ /even with all the reasoning he and Atemu had done over the past week, he still couldn't shake the words he had heard only a week ago. As unlikely as it was that they'd really been killed, he needed to know for sure.

Bakura grinned evilly at Hikari, his eyes gleaming with a malice that was worse than it usually was, "They're around here, though of course they might've gotten caught up in the fight by now. I'm not sure."

Hikari growled dangerously, only half noting the side-glare Mariku threw at his partner at those words. Although it was strange that Mariku of all people would glare at Bakura for saying something like that, Hikari couldn't really care less at that moment. All he knew was that his friends were probably still alive, and he could still save them if he managed to beat Bakura and Mariku.

"Well then," Atemu's voice sounded just as dangerous as Hikari's growl had.

_/ We'll just have to make sure we get to them before anything can happen! /_

Without another word of any kind or sign, both Atemu and Hikari jumped forward, Shadow Magic flaring to life. Mariku tried to summon a blast of Shadow Magic before he could be hit, but was forced to dodge instead when Hikari nearly pounced on top of him. Growling as he side-stepped the attack, a blast fired by Bakura to keep Hikari from pouncing again flew past him, though it almost hit Mariku himself.

Atemu, instantly taking advantage of the opening in Bakura's defense, quickly kicked the white-haired thief in his stomach, wanting to fire a ball of Shadow Magic right after, but recoiling as shadows enveloped Bakura and acted like a shield right before his foot could hit. Somewhat thrown off by the much improved defense, Atemu took a step back only to be hit by a punch thrown by Bakura, followed by a blast of Shadow Magic.

'_Wh__en did he get such a high defense…?'_ Atemu quickly got to his feet, feeling Hikari pass by him as the other defended him from yet another blast. Atemu quickly fired back, hitting Mariku on the side and making the other fall to the ground with a curse.

Several more blasts followed from Atemu, this time aimed at Bakura but the other just smirked, the shadows around him actually seeming to take on a physical presence as they rose off the ground to deflect the attacks. Hikari, though amazed that Bakura had managed to learn something like that in such a short amount of time, used his speed to get around the barrier and attack Bakura, the King of Thieves cursing this time as he felt sharp claws dig into his arm.

Mariku quickly tackled the lion to the ground, using his own magic to protect him from the sharp nails that were attempting to cut him open. He winced, even with the magic protecting him still feeling the blunted down nails try to dig into his skin.

Bakura completely ignored the predicament his partner was in, grinning as he turned to Atemu and fired several blasts that seemed far more powerful than anything he'd ever been able to summon before. Atemu quickly dodged to the side, cursing loudly as he was almost hit by one of the blasts. One of the blasts barely grazed his side, throwing him off balance and dropping him to the ground. Before another blast could be fired though, Hikari finally managed to throw Mariku off him and onto Bakura, making the two stumble to the ground. Hikari attempted to blast them but again the shadows rose to form a barrier.

"When in the name of Ra did he learn that?!" Atemu growled in frustration, Hikari jumping to his side and looking at the barrier in annoyance, but wonder as well.

_/ I don't k__now… he knew how to use Shadow Magic to protect himself from my claws somewhat before, like Mariku still does… but never like this. /_

Giving each other a quick glance, both fired an enormous amount of magic at the shield, hoping to break it and hit Bakura and Mariku before the two managed to get back to their feet and counterattack. The magic hit the shield full force, the barrier holding for a moment before dissipating into nothingness. The blast, though weakened by now, raced on towards the two still lying on the ground.

Bakura quickly pushed Mariku away from him, using the other to push up to his feet faster and jump out of the way. Mariku, off balance as he was, was hit completely by the blast, yelling loudly in pain as he was thrown back.

Bakura threw one look behind him at his partner, his gaze showing uncaring and almost screaming that he thought Mariku wasn't worth any kind of protection he might've been able to give the other. Mariku groaned as he sat up, the Shadow Magic having left burns on several places on his body and blood coming from various wounds.

"What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to get me killed or something?!" the blonde glared angrily, slowly getting to his feet even though his wounds were quite visibly hurting him a lot.

Bakura simply shrugged at his 'partner's' complaint, "You should've been faster then. What am I, your mother?" he focused back on Atemu and Hikari, both staring somewhat dumbfounded at the argument going on in front of them.

"Are we going to fight or have a staring contest?" Bakura snorted before firing another blast of magic, Atemu and Hikari quickly getting out of the way to avoid being hit. With only a simple glance between them, an immediate plan was made even though they hadn't said a word.

Atemu quickly fired a large blast of magic once more, Bakura once more being protected by his barrier – though it did seem weaker this time – as the white-haired King of Thieves focused his attention on the Pharaoh. Hikari darted away, once more quickly making his way around the shield and using Bakura's lack of attention to him to quickly fire a blast of his own magic. Bakura was thrown to the ground, Hikari jumping at him before being blasted away himself by Mariku.

Bakura quickly rolled out of the way of the blast that Atemu sent at him, glancing at Mariku in something that could to some level be translated into appreciation, "Well, at least you're good for something." Without another glance he got to his feet, firing blasts at both Hikari and Atemu to get them away from him again.

Hikari dodged the blasts, quickly jumping away towards Mariku and tackling the other to the ground. Mariku, slowed down by his wounds, wasn't fast enough to get out of the way and was thrown to the ground once more.

With Hikari and Atemu now on opposite sides of Bakura, both fired a large blast of magic at the other, Bakura glanced from side to side as if trying to determine which was more important to block. Shadows once more rose to protect him, defending both sides even though because of that the shields were less powerful. Neither blast made it through, though Hikari instantly jumped at Bakura as he stopped firing, breaking through the even more weakened shield and slashing at Bakura. The King of Thieves cursed loudly in pain as blood poured out of the gashes that had been made, falling to the ground in pain.

Both breathing heavily because they'd already used so much of their magic, but seeing a clear shot to possibly finish off both Bakura and Mariku, Atemu and Hikari prepared another large blast, Hikari bowing his head in regret that if this worked, he would actually kill the two in front of him. Atemu gave a glance at his partner, grimacing in the same kind of regret but knowing that they didn't have a choice.

As they both focused back on the two in front of them to make sure neither had recovered enough to put up any kind of defense yet, two very familiar voices to Hikari suddenly yelled out, making Atemu and Hikari look in the direction the voices were coming from.

There, running at them as fast as they could and jumping over the bodies of the dead soldiers and thieves alike, were Ryou and Malik, both looking panicked and out of breath as they came closer. Though at first it wasn't completely clear what the two were yelling, it became much clearer as they came closer.

"Stop! Don't kill them!"**

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Wow… another cliffie… yeah, still got it XD Anyway, this is officially the last chapter I've got written down… I actually have to go write this week because I don't have the next one yet °sweatdrops° which is ridiculous because I know exactly what I want to happen next °grumbles° **Point is, if there's suddenly a week between now and the end of the fic that I don't update, it's imply because the last few chaps wouldn't work with me and I refused to post utter crap. Oh well, ONWARDS! Review people!**


	15. Chapter 14: Hidden Truths

**ARGH****! This chapter hates me! It took me AGES to get it down… and I'm **_**still**_** not sure if it's actually any good. It's giving me such a headache though that I honestly considered discontinuing the fic altogether… before remember how much I hate it when people do that and forcing myself to continue anyway. Well, I hope love me for putting myself through that so R&R!****

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**--: 14 :--  
Hidden Truths**

"I blame you for this!" Malik dropped to the ground as a spear rushed over his head, swallowing thickly as he noted how close it had gotten to hitting him. He glanced over to Ryou to make sure the other was still alright, seeing that the other was nervously glancing around rapidly to make sure nothing was coming his way.

The white-haired teen looked back at his friend after making sure he was fine for the next few moments, "How is this my fault?! You were the one who practically trampled that guy with the horse by scaring it so we could escape!" He again looked around him, panic clearly visible in his eyes.

Malik got back to his feet, looking around and trying to find the spear that had just barely missed him. His hands were still tied and he desperately needed the ropes to be cut. If he could only find that spear, Ryou could try and cut his binds with it. "I only did it because you were so worried about Bakura." He grinned as he spotted the spear and rushed over to it as quickly as he could, "Bingo! Cut these damned ropes and I'll cut yours. My wrists feel like they're on fire."

Ryou bit his lip but made his way over nonetheless, turning around and picking up the spear. "You shouldn't have struggled so much then." He focused on cutting Malik's ropes instead of arguing with the other. Arguing wasn't particularly useful right now, getting out of the ropes was.

After they'd gotten to the battlefield, they'd both been put on one horse and had been left out of sight with one guard. The man hadn't seemed that happy about being left behind to 'babysit' them, and had therefore not been paying to much attention to them. He'd apparently found the battle much more fun to watch.

And leaving Malik unsupervised was never a good idea.

It had cost Malik several minutes of wriggling around to get into a proper position, which had already made the horse restless. After that he'd plainly kicked the horse so hard it had staggered – almost throwing them off in the process – and had then taken off. Their guard was thrown to the side and had he fallen the wrong way, the horse would've surely trampled him to death. As it was, he'd get away with some bruises.

It had taken the horse several more minutes before it finally manage to throw them off not too far away from the edge of the battlefield. The guard that had of course been trying to follow them continued to chase the horse, apparently not noticing that it had dumped its load already.

Idiot.

Oh well, their luck. Of course Malik had insisted they go try and find Mariku and Bakura to kick that shadow being out of Bakura. Apparently Malik was conveniently forgetting that it was because of that they'd just almost been hit by a spear.

And several other weapons, for that matter.

Ryou finally managed to cut through the rope and Malik let out a relieved sigh as he blew on his wrists in an attempt to stop the burning feeling. Not succeeding, Malik scowled at them but ignored the feeling for now as he picked up the spear and quickly cut through Ryou's ropes.

"There, now let's go find those two idiots." Malik had already risen, looking around the battlefield to try and find their look-alikes. Ryou gave one glace at the multitude of weapons that were being used and knew they'd never survive if they went into the mass of fighting people.

"You're insane. We'd be killed before we'd even see them!" he got to his feet as well, "We've already been dodging weapons here and nobody's fighting here yet!"

Malik scowled again, "Well we need to get to them! I don't know about you but I'd prefer it if that thing controlling your boyfriend was killed instead of those two idiots."

Ryou flushed several shades of red, "He's not my boyfriend… and of course I don't want them to die! I'd just like to stay alive myself too!"

Malik opened his mouth to argue once more, before closing it again as another spear passed them. It wasn't anywhere near them but still, he had to admit that if they'd go in there, the chances of being killed were rather high.

"Fine, what's your plan then?" Malik sighed in defeat.

Ryou glanced at the fighting soldiers and thieves once more. "When Atemu and Hikari get here, they're bound to start fighting with Bakura and Mariku. We might not to able to sense that magic they use, but things being blown up is bound to draw attention. Then at least we'll know where they are."

"So what, we're going to stand around doing nothing until we see or hear something getting blown up?"

"It better then getting killed out there."

"Touché."

They looked around for a hiding place for the time being, hiding behind a rock formation close-by as they kept a close eye on the fighting going on. It wasn't until quite a bit later that they finally saw signs of a fight using shadow magic. Both instantly started looking for a way to get to the fight, knowing that if they were too late and either side won, it would be too late. They didn't want Mariku or Bakura to get killed, but Yuugi getting killed wasn't exactly a happy thought either.

It didn't really take long before anyone fighting close to Bakura, Mariku, Hikari and Atemu moved away. There were only a few people now fighting between them and the people they were trying to reach. Malik grinned, "I'd say our chances just improved greatly, wouldn't you say?"

Ryou nodded, still a bit unsure but knowing it wasn't going to get much better than this, "I guess…"

With a few more glances to make sure the coast as relatively clear, Ryou and Malik quickly bolted forward, managing to get around the fighting people without getting too hurt. Ryou was cut slightly by a sword lying around when he tripped, and Malik was thrown to the ground when one of Atemu's soldiers dropped to the ground, but that was less than they'd expected to get. Just as they came close enough to see what was going on, they saw Hikari tackle Mariku to the ground, before both Hikari and Atemu fired large blasts at Bakura. Shields rose to protect Bakura, holding the attacks back, but Hikari jumping at Bakura only seconds later and slashing the other threw the King of Thieves to the ground.

"They're going to finish it off!" Malik's eyes widened as he saw Hikari jump back to Atemu's side, both preparing a large blast that was quite obviously meant to finish off the fight.

"No!" Ryou quickly rushed forward, Malik following right after him at top speed. "We need to stop them! Yuugi!"

They saw Hikari and Atemu glancing up at the sound of their voices, both yelling loudly for the two to not kill Bakura and Mariku off. Mariku looked up from his position on the ground with a dazed look, though he grinned and waved at them as soon as he saw Malik, apparently temporarily forgetting all his wounds, "Malik-pretty!"

Hikari, deciding to for the moment ignore the fact that Mariku had just called one of his friends 'pretty' , instantly rushed towards them to protect them in case Mariku or Bakura had recovered enough to attack, _/ You two need to get out of here _now._ /_ Of course he was relieved to see that his two friends really were okay, but if they stayed there they could easily get hurt anyway. They needed to leave, _fast_.

Ryou shook his head frantically, "No! You can't kill those two! Please Yuugi!"

Hikari glanced back in question for a moment, before seeing that Bakura had gotten back to his feet and focused back on the thief, _/ I don't know what those two did to you but I'm going to make them pay. /_ Malik and Ryou actually shivered at the dangerous tone Hikari's voice carried with it. Malik scowled at his friend, annoyed that he wouldn't listen to them. Of course there was a large battle going on so he could understand it, but this was important.

"Damnit! Bakura's being possessed! There's some kind of shadow thing that's been influencing those two for all this time and now it's actually taken control of Bakura! _Listen to us!_"

Hikari gave a shocked glance back; Atemu looked over with a look of disbelief as well before looking back at Bakura. Mariku blinked and cocked his head to the side; "Mariku is being influenced?" he blinked again.

Bakura was the only one who didn't respond to the statement. A smirk crept up on his face as he straightened completely, looking at where Hikari was standing in front of Malik and Ryou, "Well, I see you two found out a lot more than I wanted you to. I knew that idiot should've killed the runt when he heard me but of course he had to disobey me." He gave a humourless laugh, "Oh well, can't do much about that now."

Atemu narrowed his eyes at the white-haired man before him, "Who are you exactly if you're not Bakura? And why have you been influencing him and Mariku all this time?!"

"Me?" Bakura grinned maliciously, "I'm here to take over your puny world, and this idiot was nothing but a tool I could use. Your father destroyed his village, leaving him as the only survivor. He was so easy to manipulate and he believed anything I said." He chuckled, "Sadly he wouldn't follow my orders anymore so I had to take control of him. He would've never been able to beat you and I knew it."

Hikari growled, _/ Well apparently you couldn't either! Crawl back into the hole you came from and leave us alone! /_

Bakura merely smirked, "I might not be able to win like this, but this fool has been giving me power all these years. His hatred has given me so much power I don't need him anymore!"

There was a brief moment where Bakura's eyes glowed an intense red before they closed and the white-haired thief fell limply to the ground. Ryou rushed past Hikari, kneeling down next to his look-alike to check if he was okay. Hikari looked on in confusion, completely blank on why Ryou would be this worried for someone who had kidnapped him, influenced or not.

Hesitantly shaking off his confusion for the time being and glancing at Atemu, he focused back on the last words the being had said, _/ What do you think he meant? /_

Atemu frowned, "I'm not sure, but I think we'll find out soon enough." He glanced at Mariku, instantly assuming a battle ready position again as the blonde got to his feet and started walking over with a grin on his face. Malik quickly rushed to block any attack Atemu might throw at Mariku, a sheepish look on his face, "He won't do anything… except maybe try to molest me again," he threw a brief glare over his shoulder that Mariku pointedly ignored as he just continued to grin happily.

"But Malik-pretty likes it when Mariku chases after him." Malik opened his mouth to argue before closing it again and rubbing his temple.

"Is there even any point in arguing with you since you won't listen anyway?" Mariku shook his head, somehow managing to pull off a somewhat innocent look.

Atemu and Hikari threw a confused and questioning look at each other before Hikari looked back at his friends, _/ Will one of you please explain why you're protecting the two guys who kidnapped you? /_ He gave them a quizzical look.

"Well Ryou's in love with Bakura," Ryou flushed instantly at Malik's completely blunt spoken words, but stayed quiet nonetheless. Unlike Malik, he had given up on denying that he really did feel more for Bakura. "And he'll probably get upset if Mariku gets killed too." Malik grinned sheepishly once more, before snickering at the utterly shocked and bewildered looks both Atemu and Hikari gave them.

_/ In… love? /_ Ryou gave a reluctant nod, before looking up at his friend in a slightly defensive manner, "He's different when he's not being controlled!" Hr looked back at Bakura in worry, "Is he… okay?"

_/ You get kidnapped by the guy and you fall in _love_ with him?! I don't care if he was being controlled by whatever just left him; you have to be kidding me! /_ Hikari gave his friend an incredulous look, before looking at Malik, _/ don't tell me you fell in love with Mariku? Please? /_

Malik opened his mouth to say he hadn't but Mariku spoke up first, "Of course Malik-pretty likes Mariku!" He pouted like Hikari had said something insulting. Malik twitched slightly.

"Don't try to argue with him, it's pointless." He shook his head, quickly trying to find a way to change the subject. It wasn't that he hadn't realized by now that he might like Mariku more than he had been telling himself, but this really wasn't the time to say something like that. For one, Yuugi would most likely explode. For two, Mariku would never leave him alone again. "So uhm… before either of you get angry for one reason or another, shouldn't you be focusing on what that thing possessing Bakura said?"

Atemu, who had stayed silent for the time being because he had thought it better to let Hikari yell at his friends – it really wasn't any of his business – now spoke up again, "He's right. That thing said he didn't need Bakura anymore and I doubt it's because it gave up on trying to kill us. For all we know it found a way into this world without using Bakura."

_/ Assuming that it really came from a different world. /_Hikari reluctantly dropped the issues his friends so obviously had, knowing this was far more important.

"It said it wanted to take over our world." Atemu frowned, "So apparently it does. I doubt anyone would phrase it that way if they didn't."

_/ I guess... though it's a weird thought that there are actually other world__s then. /_ Hikari sighed. _/ So if it found a way here… what's it waiting for? /_

Mariku, apparently deciding that it would probably be best for now to work with Atemu and Hikari since whatever had been controlling Bakura obviously wasn't someone he wanted around, gained a thoughtful look for a moment, before glancing around him at everyone still fighting, "Bakura said something about wanting a lot of bloodshed so there'd be a lot of hatred when he was acting all weird."

Atemu gave him a suspicious look, "And you're telling us this because…?"

Mariku pouted again, "Because Mariku doesn't like that thing. It took over Bakura and wanted to use Malik-pretty!"

_/ Well that thing did say something about Bakura's hatred giving him power so… is it just waiting to get more power from the people around to become stronger? /_ Hikari looked around for a moment as well, _/ Because I'd say there's a lot of hatred going on around us right now. /_

"Has anyone else noticed that it's getting darker too?" Malik looked around him for a moment to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. Shadows seemed to have grown darker and a thin veil of black fog had started to gather. Everyone followed his example, frowning as they saw Malik was right.

"It seems we'll be facing whatever it is that possessed Bakura soon enough then." Atemu looked around carefully, trying to find out if their new enemy was maybe already there but just hiding, "I suggest your friends find a safe spot to hide." He looked at Hikari.

Hikari nodded, _/ He's right guys if that thing could possess Bakura, it has to be strong. You should all get as far away from here as possible. /_

"What about Bakura?" Ryou looked up at his friend, "We can't just leave him here like this. He needs help."

Atemu crouched down next to the white-haired teen and checked Bakura over quickly, mostly because he wanted both of Hikari's friends to leave as soon as possible so they wouldn't get caught in the fight that was no doubt coming. "He's fine, just unconscious. He'll wake up soon enough." He straightened again, "I doubt you'll be able to get away while carrying him though."

Ryou was about to protest again because he didn't want to leave before being interrupted by several people rushing towards Atemu. One female and five males dressed in the robes the High Priests wore quickly joined the small group. A brown-haired, blue-eyed male who couldn't be much older than Atemu was spoke first, "We felt an enormous amount of shadow magic gathering here. What's going on, Atemu?"

Before Atemu could answer, the black fog that had been slowly blocking out the light thickened to let almost no light pass through. A feeling of oppression flooded everyone and even the men still fighting stiffened and stopped in their tracks, looking around them in confusion. Hikari and Atemu braced themselves, looking around them and trying to find out where the source of this all was coming from, and where the being behind it was.

Out of the shadows appeared a form that looked more like a demon than anything else. It had completely blue skin and blazing red eyes that seemed to shine with malice. The head of a dragon came from the creature's crotch, seeming as ready to attack as the monster itself. The creature was so big, it could easily overshadow many of the pyramids build in the deserts of Egypt, seeming strong enough to crush those same pyramids with ease.

Everyone's eyes widened as they stared at the being before them, all wondering the same thing.

'_How are we going to beat that?'_**

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**Short, yes. Deal with it °sweatdrops° Like I said, this chapter gave me a headache and I wanted another cliffie so the end is staying right there XD I expect the next chapter to be just as annoying to me so the warning that there could be a week where I skip coming up stays. Of course, since this bloody (Damn you Britt for getting me to use that word!) story is almost over I'm trying very hard to not let that happen °sighs° You should all honestly love me for being so stubborn about my weekly updates. Anyway, hope you liked the chap and Review!**


	16. Chapter 15: Endgame

**Okay, so I skipped last week but I had an actual reason **_**beside**_** the fact that I'm low on inspiration. I was in Belgium with friends on vacation with close to no i-net access. In other words, I plainly couldn't update. On top of that, they kept me nice and busy there so I couldn't write much either. So once again, my warning for no updates stands XD yes, I suck. On a more positive side, - or negative for you guys actually - this is the second last chapter so there shouldn't be too much postponing I can do… so yeah. Anyway, I'll stop ranting now so you guys can R&R!**

**P.S.: Ignore my title v.v I'm out of ideas for this chap so anyone who can think of a better one is welcome to suggest it.**

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--: 15 :--  
Endgame

_/ No… Way… /_ It was about the only coherent thing Hikari could bring himself to say. The thought that whatever it had been that had possessed Bakura might not have come from a different world was no where near his mind anymore. Something like this couldn't have possibly come from the world they lived in.

Atemu stared at the being with a similar look of disbelief to what the entire group currently wore, before shaking himself out of the shock that had momentarily frozen him up, "Well, missing it will at least be hard." He grumbled, still staring at the huge creature that seemed to smirk at that instant as if hearing him. To be honest it wouldn't even surprise him; the creature's ears were quite big so no doubt he could pick up on sounds very easily.

"I am Zorc, surrender now or I will annihilate those who oppose me." Shadow magic emanated from the being in large waves, all the soldiers and thieves that had been trying to get as far away as possible falling to the ground in an instant, souls gone. The small group looked on in shock at the ease this was done, knowing for a very certain fact now that this creature was beyond powerful.

Hikari finally shook himself back into reality again and glared at the being before him. Big and powerful or not, this was the thing that was truly behind everything that had happened. He had been using Bakura and Mariku as puppets to get to their realm, and he'd be damned if he was going to stop fighting now. _/ Never! I'd rather die than give up! /_ he growled dangerously but it seemed to have no effect. Zorc merely gave a humourless laugh.

"Then prepare to die, foolish mortal." Another wave of shadow magic cascaded over them and only because they themselves were capable of using the magic now being used against them were they able to resist the enormous power. Atemu glanced back at his Priests, using his own magic to make sure nothing would happen to them even if it would cost him more of his own magic that way. Aside from Seth and Mahaad, every one of his priests held a Millennium Item, but none but he himself used it often enough to be able to defend against this kind of power. He glared back at the creature, "What do you want with this world?!" he demanded, not particularly interested in the motives behind the being's actions, but trying to stall for time as he searched for a possible weak spot.

Zorc gave him a malicious grin, "Because it's more fun here. I come from the realm where your items belong to. Your father was the one to create those items out of greed for more power. The moment those items were created it gave me a chance to look into this world, to observe. That fool Bakura was the only survivor of the slaughter that needed to happen to create the items, and it was very easy to tell him anything I wanted him to believe once I gained enough strength for that." He gave another humourless laugh, "Humans are so easy to manipulate when they're alone and scared."

A low snarl was heard and everyone glanced back to see Bakura glaring at the shadow creature in fury, russet eyes burning with anger, "You," he didn't seem to be able to say much more in his current anger, but both Atemu and Hikari decided in one glance at each other that for the time being, they were not enemies. Bakura seemed to be more angry at Zorc than he ever had been at either of them, so joining forces would probably be best for now.

"Bakura," Atemu called out, the white-haired thief turning his furious gaze on the him, "I suggest a truce until we deal with this."

There was a long pause were Bakura merely stared, before getting up, ignoring Ryou's protest, "I don't like you, and I doubt I ever will." He spoke, his voice level and not betraying any of the anger he was so obviously feeling, "But I loathe that thing at the moment, so for now I'll agree to that." He gave one glance at Mariku, who grinned and nodded in agreement as well.

Atemu nodded once before turning back to Zorc, "Then I suggest we all work together."

Zorc, obviously having heard them, laughed at their futile attempt to destroy him, "You puny mortals are no match for me! Die!"

In the next few moments a large blast of shadow magic was aimed at the group that quickly scattered to avoid the hit. Each tried to fire back, in an attempt to at least hurt the creature, but Zorc merely laughed, letting another wave of magic roll over them all. Most of the Priests, now unprotected by Atemu, fell to the ground in pain, though their experience with the magic kept their souls where they were, whereas anybody else's would've been consumed by the shadows. Atemu growled, putting more power into his attack, but the only thing he accomplished was a slight scratch.

Hikari, who had quickly managed to get Ryou and Malik away from the first blast, directed his attention briefly to his two once more shocked friends. _/ You need to hide as fast as you can. I can't keep protecting you like this. /_ He gave a pleading look at the two who nodded, quickly backing away. Hikari concentrated for a moment, forcing some of his own magic to form a barrier that would protect the two. They probably wouldn't get very far right now, but at least like this they were out of immediate danger and protected from the waves of magic that rolled over them every so often.

He turned his attention back just in time to see another large blast coming his way. He easily dodged it, using his speed to get to where Atemu was standing and firing a blast together with the other. Still, not much more than a scratch was made and both doubted Zorc would be very bothered by it.

Another wave of magic, one much stronger than the ones before this times, knocked them to the round, this particular wave seemingly having been aimed at just them. A blast was aimed at them instant after that, though before it could be fired, Bakura and Mariku shot a blast of their own to stop it. With Atemu and Hikari knocked the ground it would've been hard to dodge that blast, and Bakura did know they would all have to work together to win, no matter how much he hated to admit it to even himself.

He gave Atemu a mocking look, "What's wrong, Pharaoh, tired already?"

Atemu glared back at him and instantly got to his feet, Hikari following suit as they quickly dodged another blast. He suppressed the urge to punch Bakura for now; that could come at a later time.

The fight continued, wave after wave of shadow magic now aimed at particular people, knocking them to the ground before blasts of shadow magic were fired. The High Priests, not nearly as trained in the use of their items, could barely even hit Zorc, let alone do any actual damage. On top of that, the amount of magic they could use was far less as well, leaving them quickly exhausted. Atemu, Bakura, Hikari and Mariku were faring better, hitting Zorc on multiple occasions and after some time actually managing to make a decent hit while all working together, but the limit to Zorc's power seemed to be non-existent and their own reserves had already been drained from the fight before.

Zorc, apparently getting bored with the fight after all that time, released another powerful wave of magic, this one aimed in all directions like the first ones had been. Atemu's eyes widened, his attention instantly being drawn to the six people who would no longer be capable of resisting the pull of the shadows if the wave were to hit them.

In an instant he focused his magic to form a barrier to protect his friends, feeling Hikari react just as fast in the same way. The wave hit just before the shield could fully form and both watched in horror as both Shada and Karim were thrown back violently, the others falling unconscious as some of the magic still seeped through the shield. Not quite sure if he wanted to know for certain, Atemu tried to sense if they were okay, only to feel no souls in Karim and Shada's bodies any longer, though the others seemed to relatively okay.

Two of the people who had counted on him to protect them, that had trusted him and had put their lives on the line for him were gone. True, he and Shada and Karim weren't the closest friends he'd had on his counsel, but he still respected them greatly and didn't want anything to happen to them. For the first time he knew remotely what Hikari must've gone through for the past weeks, though he knew he was only feeing a portion of what the other had felt.

He turned furious eyes onto Zorc, feeling Hikari do the same though since he had even less of a bond with the two, his anger was still controlled. It was probably a good thing too, since anger was an emotion that could easily throw the other's magic off to a point where it would hurt him like it had done twice already.

"He's going _down_." Atemu growled lowly, eyes burning with an angry fire that could nearly match the one Bakura had held after waking up to Zorc's words. He focused his power once more for another blast, vaguely sensing that Hikari, Bakura and Mariku did the same, before drawing power from reserves he didn't he know he had and firing.

Four blasts combined and for a moment Zorc seemed surprised at the amount of power. The blasts hit together, actually managing to throw the huge being back a few steps as he lost his balance. Then he regained his balance, a trail of blood trickling from a small wound on his chest. He glared at the four still fighting, now angry that they had dared to make such a wound.

"How _dare_ you mortals!" A violent wave of magic washed over them, throwing them all backwards as if they were nothing more than leaves in the wind. Zorc glared at the remaining people resisting him, deciding that instead of simply killing them and being done with it, he wanted them to suffer now. _No one_ should even touch him, let alone wound him. These mortals had done both, so they would _pay_.

With one quick look around he spotted the two he'd wanted to use from the very moment they'd been captured. He knew at least three of the people opposing him would suffer greatly if anything happened to those two, and through Hikari, Atemu would definitely suffer as well. It was quite obvious the two were close, so if one hurt, that foolish bond would make sure the other would hurt.

With one quick motion, Zorc stood over where Malik and Ryou were hiding, a malicious grin on his face. Before the two could even start trying to get away, he grabbed the two in one hand, his grin widening at the protests coming from the two.

Bakura, Mariku and Hikari's eyes widened in shock, instantly springing back to their feet and firing blasts at Zorc in an attempt to make him let go. Their shots were met with mocking laughing, Zorc barely being scratched by the scattered blasts.

"Because you dared to attack me, your friends will pay the price." Pained screams came from Malik and Ryou as Zorc tightened his grip more, loving every cry that came from the two. He laughed maniacally, too busy enjoying his torment to notice the sudden increase in power as Bakura, Mariku and Hikari seethed in anger.

Bakura's eyes narrowed in rage, russet turning darker as he gritted his teeth. Mariku had a similar reaction, his child-like composure completely changing to one of a seriousness he'd never shown before. Hikari growled dangerously, his posture tense and ready to attack at any time. His magic flared around him, the anger making it lash out, though with the object of his anger so close-by, it seemed the chaotic magic was focussing completely on hurting Zorc instead of hurting whatever was around.

Although all had different reasons, the same thought went through all their heads; no one touched either of those two and got away with it without going through an amount of pain that made Hell seem like a pleasant place.

Atemu rose to his feet as well, anger still surging through him and only increasing at the current sight. Hikari had gone through hell when Mariku and Bakura had kidnapped Ryou and Malik, and at that point he hadn't even been certain if the two were being hurt or not. Seeing them in a position like this was definitely not something he wanted to put the other through.

Zorc, finally noticing the sudden increase in power, glanced away from his victims in shock. He could see the shadows around them moving chaotically at a speed that screamed of an enormous amount of power. His eyes widened as they fell on the small group below where the power seemed to come from, his grip slacking on the two he was holding.

Malik, shaking his head for a moment to shake the pain-induced haze, looked around blearily to see all the signs for a huge attack. He snapped out of the daze completely, also noticing that the grip Zorc had on him and Ryou had considerably loosened. He instantly started to struggle, hoping to every god he knew that Zorc would be too distracted to notice until he'd manage to get loose. Zorc had lowered his hand the instant he'd noticed the attack but even though jumping was probably not going to be the most pleasant experience, staying there would be far worse.

As Hikari, Atemu, Mariku and Bakura charged a huge attack and Zorc just stood in stunned shock, Malik managed to get loose, pulling Ryou with him and instantly jumped down without giving himself time to rethink the action and talk himself out of doing it.

Zorc snapped out of his shock as he felt the two he'd been holding getting away, looking down just as power surged from the small group on the ground, shadows moving even faster and more chaotically than before, before a blast was fired that even Zorc wouldn't be able to stop. Zorc instantly switched his attention back to the blast, trying to hold it back with all the power he had, but the increase of power had simply been too much and the blast cut through every defence he put up.

With one big explosion everyone was thrown back to the ground harshly, smoke enveloping the battle field. Everyone coughed, trying to see through the smoke what had happened through the smoke. As it lifted, the shadows around them became thinner, quickly seeming to vaporize into nothingness. As the smoke completely cleared and sunlight once more spread over the battle field, there was no longer any sign of Zorc, the giant creature having completely disappeared together with the shadows he'd brought with him. Atemu looked around, making sure the blue demon was really gone and hadn't just found a way to hide himself. "I… think he's gone…" he slowly rose to his feet, still glancing around.

Hikari groaned for a moment before getting up too, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness he felt before quickly looking around in slight panic, _/ Where are Malik and Ryou?! Are they okay?! /_ he winced slightly as the leftover emotions made his magic lash at him, though with his magic as drained as it was there wasn't much it could do.

"They better be." Bakura got to his feet too, "If that thing hurt Ryou I swear I'll follow him to wherever he just went and do far worse to him than what we did just now."

"And Malik-pretty too!" Mariku jumped up, looking around in a similar panic as Hikari, "Malik-pretty can't be hurt!"

Atemu and Hikari gave a slightly confused look, before shaking it off as well as they could. Atemu glanced at the fallen Priests, sensing if they were okay and gave a slight sigh of relief at finding them still unconscious, but otherwise fine. He looked over at Hikari with a smile, "We saw them jump, go look for them while I check on them." He pointed over to the Priests. Hikari gave a nod before rushing off, Mariku close behind him and Bakura following at a more leisure pace. Atemu shook his head before walking over to Seth, who was just waking up. Although his cousin had no item of his own, he spend so much time around him that his defence against Shadow Magic was probably better than any of the other Priests'

"You do realize you're lucky to still have a soul, right?" Atemu crouched down next to the other who gave him a slight glare, "Way to thank me for coming to help you."

"And a big help you were." Atemu rolled his eyes before grimacing, "Karim and Shada didn't make it."

Seth's eyes widened as he pushed himself up, wincing slightly at the pain the action caused, before looking over to find the two Priests in question. He grit his teeth in anger as he saw them, "And that thing?"

"Gone, though I doubt we killed him. I think we just hurt him enough to send him back to the shadow realm. He'll need to start all over getting here again."

Seth gave a stiff nod, eyes still trained on the two bodies, "Good." There was a pause before he looked back at Atemu, "We'll… need new members on the council, " he scowled at his own words.

There was another pause before Atemu glanced back in the direction Hikari had taken off in, "I might… have an idea for that." He watched as Hikari and Mariku stopped and crouched down, no doubt having found Malik and Ryou, though he couldn't see a reaction. Bakura joined them not long after.

* * *

Hikari bolted over to his two friends the instant he finally caught sight of them, Mariku following right behind him. He gave a concerned look as he stopped right in front of the two, _/ Guys? /_

Malik let out a grown, "My body… hurts." He looked up at Hikari, "Please tell me that magic of yours can heal?" Ryou just gave a groan that seemed awfully pleading to Hikari's ears, and the lion let out a sigh.

_/ Sorry guys, it only helps to heal me faster but I'm sure Atemu won't mind if you stay at the palace. He can have his healers take care of you. /_

Mariku pouted, "But Mariku wants to take care of Malik-pretty!" He received a swat to his head as Bakura arrived.

"idiot, we live in the middle of the desert. How exactly were you planning on taking care of anything? Besides, you let any pet you have die within no time." He smirked slightly at the sulk he gained as a reply before crouching down next to Ryou, "Are you alright?"

Ryou nodded slowly, "Yes, though I'm staying away from Malik from now on."

At the protest Malik gave Hikari smiled, knowing that if his friend could loudly yell at someone he wasn't that hurt. The protests only grew louder as Mariku ignored everything that had so far been said and pulled Malik into his arms, grinning happily as Malik tried to get away but failed miserably.

"Damnit! How many times do I have to tell you not to do this!" Malik scowled at his look-alike but Mariku merely gave him an innocent grin.

"Until you actually mean it." Malik opened his mouth to protest again before catching the somewhat pointed look Ryou threw at him and sighing, stopping his struggling, "I hate all of you." He sulked, nonetheless somewhat reluctantly leaning against Mariku. Mariku's grin widened happily as he cuddled Malik closer.

Hikari looked hesitantly between his two friends before sighing, _/ Okay, so Malik really is in love with the guy who kidnapped him… What am I going to do with you guys?"_

Malik grinned, "Love us, feed us, never leave us."

_/ You do realize you're in love with the guy that's tried to kill me multiple times and will possibly continue that, right? /_

Malik paused, glancing over at Mariku for a moment before hesitantly answering, "Ryou's right, that huge blue thing was influencing him." he then gave his look-alike a glare, "And he'll stop trying to kill you if he intends to keep me here."

Mariku nodded all too happily before pausing and cocking his head as he looked at Bakura. "Are we?"

Bakura stayed silent for a moment, glancing at Ryou, then at Atemu who was approaching. He got to his feet as Atemu arrived, giving the other a look-over. Atemu raised his eyebrow at the sudden piercing look but stayed silent until Bakura spoke. "Do you plan on ruling Egypt like your father did?" His gaze stayed searching as if looking for any kind of lie when Atemu would speak.

Atemu narrowed his eyes at the other, "My father was a power hungry tyrant. I have never and will never be like him. Whatever Zorc's been telling you over the past few years is most likely all a lie except for the fact that my father ordered the attack on Kul Elna, which I guess was your village."

Another silence fell as Bakura obviously tried to determine whether or not Atemu was lying or not, before giving a grudging nod, "Fine, I'm probably never going to like you one bit, but I'll stop attacking."

Atemu gave a nod, "Good, because I have a proposal for you in light of new events, and you still wanting to kill me would be a very bad thing." He glanced back at the priests in the distance, seeing Seth trying to wake up the three still unconscious, "Karim and Shada, two of my High Priests, got hit by a wave of Shadow Magic when they weren't able to protect themselves anymore." He grimaced, anger once more showing on his face, "They're soulless and nearly dead." He let out a sigh and looked back seriously, "Which means that I need two replacements that know how Egypt works."

Bakura rose an eyebrow, "And you want me and Mariku?" He gave a sceptical look, "Why would you want us; we've been trying to kill you."

Atemu rolled his eyes, "For one, the people of Egypt trust you. Most of them wanted you to win this war. That's the main reason I'm asking; if you two replace them it'll be like there's someone the people trust keeping an eye on me. The second would be that you have a good understanding of what the people actually want. A third is your knowledge of Shadow Magic. There really are more than enough reasons, and although I have no doubt that we're going to clash a lot, politically it's my best choice. On top of that, I'm sure it'll set your own mind at ease if you can influence what happens to Egypt ."

There was another pause as Bakura briefly glanced at Mariku, the other shrugging and then happily continuing to cuddle with Malik, who was grudgingly enjoying the attention. The white-haired thief looked back at Atemu before smirking, "Deal, making your life hard at the palace will be fun no doubt."

Atemu scowled, "I had a feeling you were going to say that." He sighed before looking at Hikari, who was looking quite a bit hesitant about the latest development. He simply smiled at the other, crouching down to run his hands through the other's manes, "Come on, let's go back to the palace. I doubt you'll be able to keep that transformation up much longer with the amount of shadow magic you've used."

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°glances up chapter° oh yeah… One more chap to go! For me this is great because I hate this story with a passion for making it so hard for me to write it. I'm sure you all will hate this because everyone seems to love this fic so much. Well, hope you all didn't think this fight was going to be all great and stuff because in my opinion it really isn't, but it drove me insane so yeah; I'm just happy it's done and as close to what I had in mind as it can be right now. Hope you all enjoyed and look forward to my last chapter because I have a certain princess to deal with °smirks evilly° hopefully see you all next week and Review!**


	17. Epilogue: Home Away From Home

**Wow… last chap… my god I thought I'd never get here. XD Thank god I did though since it seems to be more popular than anything I've ever written before. Anyway, Have fun reading ghte epilogue and R&R!**

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--: Epilogue :--  
**Home Away From Home**

_Pharaoh,_

_I want to apologize for the way my daughter acted while in Egypt . What she did was unforgivable and she will be severely punished. She has already lost her right to the Libyan throne, and any other measures you see fit to take will immediately be executed, though I pray you can forgive her enough not to ask for her death. Although by law you have every right to ask for her life, I can't help but hope you will let her live._

_I pray this ordeal will not cause any conflict between our countries, and that we may continue to co-exist as we have throughout all these years._

_Yours sincerely,  
The King of Libya_

* * *

Atemu smirked as he lay the letter down next to his bed on the small table, his hand still running through the hair of a softly purring Yuugi. Even in human form the other definitely retained some cat-like qualities, and because of that it was usually very easy to keep the other content.

He looked around at the other six present in the room. Bakura was looking very satisfied, though it was quite obvious in his eyes that he would like to ask for Teana's death. He most likely didn't voice that opinion because of Ryou, knowing the boy wouldn't forgive him if he said something like that. Ryou was simply too forgiving to ask for someone's life, even in a situation like this. And with Ryou and Bakura now together as a couple – something which had actually taken another week after Zorc's attack to happen because Bakura was a stubborn prick – the former King of Thieves wouldn't dare anger Ryou.

It would probably be very bad for their night-time activities.

Mariku and Malik had barely paid attention to the letter as Atemu had read it out loud. Mariku was far too busy half molesting Malik, and Malik was too busy trying to ignore the other. A doomed mission of course, because by now Mariku knew exactly where to touch to get the other to respond. Still, for as far as they had paid attention to Atemu, Mariku had started to snicker at what Atemu imagined to be Teana's face when she'd gotten home to hear she would not become Queen of Libya.

Jou was grinning, trying to hold back his laughter at probably the same thought. During the time that Jou had pretended to be a servant at the palace, Teana had managed to annoy him to a point where he wished her all the bad luck in the world. Not getting the throne of Libya and having to undergo any punishment Atemu could come up with was a very good start.

Seth had a similar smirk to Atemu's on his face, glad that Teana was gone, would never come back, and was no doubt feeling miserable. The brunette gave an amused look at the blonde next to him, the arm that was wrapped around the other's waist tightening slightly. Atemu would've loved to say the two were cute, but doubted Seth would stay in a good mood if he did. Any other time he would've jumped at the chance to annoy his cousin, but right now he was too content with the victorious atmosphere in the room.

"So what are you going to come up with to punish her?" Atemu glanced down at Yuugi, the other having opened his eyes now and staring at him in curiosity, "I mean, you're not really going to ask them to kill her, right?" Yuugi frowned slightly.

Atemu shook his head, and could see the scowl Bakura gained from the corner of his eye, "No, I think losing her right to the throne was already a blow far worse than death for her, especially after everything that happened here. I'm sure Bakura and Mariku can help me come up with something else to demand though."

Bakura's face instantly lit up again, a plotting smirk appearing as he started to think of things they could ask. Mariku tore his attention away from Malik for a moment, meeting Bakura's eyes with the same look as the other. "Oh yes," Bakura grinned, "I think we can help you with that." He simply ignored the reproving look Ryou threw at him.

It had been a month since Zorc's attack, and Bakura had finally started to warm up to Atemu. The white-haired former thief still loved to annoy Atemu and that would probably never change, but the suspicious glances and distrustful aura had finally disappeared and they could now be in the same room together without the temperature dropping several degrees.

"For some reason, I think death might be going easy on her all of a sudden." Yuugi chuckled slightly but made no attempt to change anyone's mind not to think of the worst things possible without killing someone. He simply snuggled closer to Atemu, enjoying his attention for as long as it lasted. No doubt Shimon would burst into the room not too long from now to demand that Atemu go back to his duties.

Really, Yuugi swore that old man was a workaholic. Strangely, Shimon reminded him of his grandfather.

Bakura, lazily sitting at the end of Atemu's bed with Ryou in his lap, smirked at Yuugi's comment, "And I bet she thought her life couldn't get any worse after I… let slip what she'd done." He gained an amused look from most of the people in the room.

"Yes, I'm sure you only 'let slip' that she'd betrayed Egypt . It wasn't intentional at all." Atemu chuckled as Bakura attempted to look innocent, but failed miserably, "And of course you weren't laughing like a maniac at how she responded either." Bakura gave up on his attempt to look innocent and simply smirked at the memory.

_**

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--: Flashback :--

"_Atemu!" Teana flew at an already twitching Atemu, throwing her arms around him in, what he thought, was an attempt to suffocate him. Of course that wasn't very likely since the girl was hopelessly in love with him, but really, he could barely breath__e at the moment so his brain wasn't working properly._

"_Teana, let go before you suffocate me!" Atemu managed to wrench loose and Teana gave him an apologetic smile. Hikari rolled his eyes, forcing his body to keep up the transformation for just a bit longer._

"_I'm sorry," Teana latched onto Atemu's arm instead, before noticing two of the new arrivals. Two people who were all-too familiar to her, but whom she hadn't ever wanted to see within the palace walls while she was still there. Her eyes widened as she saw Bakura smirking at her, Mariku happily humming behind him as he hugged a half annoyed looking teen who looked oddly like him, "What are they doing here?!"_

_Atemu sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Long story…" he looked distractedly around to find Shimon, the only person who should actually be informed of that long story for now. The older man was staring in shock at the former enemies as well and Atemu sighed again. This had already been a long day, and at this moment it seemed like it would go on forever._

_He quickly informed Shimon about everything that had happened, the other listening intently as Teana, still staring in horror at the two newcomers, tried to desperately find a way to make sure neither of them would say anything about her visit to them. Obviously they weren't going to try and take over Egypt anymore, let alone kill Hikari for her, so she had the distinct feeling her secret wasn't safe at all with them._

_Bakura watched the brunette Princess in amusement, in his mind trying to find a casual way to tell Atemu that his biggest admirer had actually committed high treason by telling them who Hikari really was. Not that it had helped them in the end, but betraying Atemu like that was still treason._

"_So all this time… there was someone else controlling those two? And you just made them High Priests?!" Shimon stared in disbelief. Atemu rubbed his temple, feeling an argument coming and with that, a severe headache._

"_If you want to yell at me, at least do it somewhere where the entire palace can't hear us." He started off towards the room where they held all their council meeting, beckoning the other Priests to come along. Shimon's eyes narrowed but he followed nonetheless._

_Just before entering the room, Bakura glanced at Teana, the girl still standing uncertainly in the hall, staring at Atemu in a half offended – he was ignoring her – and half scared way – he was going into a room with the two people who would most likely give away her secret in a heartbeat. Well, who was he to disappoint?_

"_Shouldn't she be gone by now?" he commented casually towards Atemu, still distrustful of the other but for now putting that aside for some fun._

_Atemu rose an eyebrow at the comment, "And why is that, Bakura?" he glanced at Teana who's eyes had widened at Bakura's words, her eyes seeming to plead for something he didn't know. He frowned at that._

_Bakura rose his eyebrow as if surprised, "Well I thought traitors, even if they are princesses, would be at least be banished… or given the death penalty even."_

_The hall went silent and all the Priests that had already passed Atemu looked around in shock at what the thief was saying. Atemu narrowed his eyes._

"_And how, pray tell, did she betray me?" The fact that Teana was looking desperate at the moment was a clear sign that Bakura wasn't making this up._

_Bakura, now having to put effort into not bursting into laughter at Teana's expression, managed to keep up his surprised look though only barely, "You don't know? I'd have though that you would keep a closer eye on your future wife." Atemu scowled but Bakura didn't give him any time to interrupt, "She came to me not too long ago, saying she'd found out who Hikari was. If I would kill off your kitty-cat but let you live to be dragged off to Libya to marry her," Bakura motioned at Teana, "She'd tell me who Hikari really was."_

_There was another silence before two furious sets of eyes glared at Teana, a combined '_what?!_' sounding though one was mental and one was vocal. Hikari glared in anger at the brunette now glancing nervously between the people around her._

"_Wh-what? Of course I didn't d-do that!" Atemu's glare only became harsher at the obvious lie. Hikari had to put in visibly effort not to attack the girl._

_/ Do you have any idea what you did by telling those two who I am?! Do you know what could've happened today if they'd actually managed to kill me?! / Teana cowered and Atemu came closer, stopping right in front of the girl. For a moment it seemed like he was going to just yell at her before he rose a hand and slapped her across the face._

_There was more shocked silence. Never before had Atemu ever hit anyone like that. He'd always managed to stay calm and collected, fixing his problems through talking even if he was angry._

_Teana looked at him with tear-stained eyes, "Atemu-"_

"_Silence." Teana instantly stopped talking at the dangerously spoken words, "Over the past few weeks you have been nothing but a burden. You've been annoying me from the very start but I put up with it all because we used to be friends and I knew you would no doubt complain to your father like the spoiled brat you are if I did anything wrong. This time, however, you have stepped very far over the line." He turned around, walking back towards the other Priests, ignoring Bakura who was ineffectively trying to stop himself from laughing. "Pack your things; you're leaving. As of today, you are banished from Egypt for high treason."_

_Atemu walked through the large doors towards the council room, leaving behind a shocked and by now crying Teana. Hikari gave her a cold look before letting Malik and Ryou pull him away and leading the two to Atemu's bedroom where Jou would no doubt be waiting for them._

_Teana stared after Atemu, tears streaming down her face, before collapsing to the ground in sobs. The servants who had been watching the scene shared looks before simply going on with their wo__rk; Teana had annoyed them too much for them to care about her now, especially since she probably deserved worse than just this._

_**--: End of Flashback :--**_

* * *

Not long after that Yuugi had reluctantly showed the rest of the council who he really was too, and the fact that he and Atemu were a couple seemed to have been old news to everyone. Now that the war was over and Malik, Ryou and Jou had happily agreed to live in the palace, there wasn't much reason for him not to tell at least the council.

Jou was officially released from servant duty and it was also common knowledge that he and Seth were together, their arguments by now legendary and always a source of entertainment. There was never a boring day when those two were around. One minute they'd be fighting, the next one of them would've kissed the other to shut him up and not ten minutes later, they'd be arguing again about seemingly nothing. How the two managed to stay together not many knew, but at least it made for some interesting scenes.

Bakura and Mariku, as Bakura had said, had wasted no time in making Atemu's life a lot harder for him. Council meetings were often disrupted, neither of the two showed respect to anyone – though in Mariku case this seemed to be more because of his childish nature and not because he wanted to cause trouble on purpose – but luckily after Ryou and Bakura had finally gotten together, Ryou had managed to tame Bakura at least a little.

Not a lot, though.

And now, with Teana back home with her father and in obvious trouble, everything would hopefully calm down a bit. Since Teana's father had already sent a lot of gifts and the letter in hopes of Atemu forgiving him, Atemu saw no reason to do anything that would cause a conflict between their countries. All he'd really wanted was that Teana would be punished for what she'd done, so even all the gifts were more than he'd needed.

On top of that, his army was in the Shadow Realm. What was he going to do? Yell until they surrendered?

"Atemu!" The door swung open and, as expected, there stood Shimon, glaring angrily at his young king, "Where have you been all this time?! You have duties to fulfil!" his gaze turned to an amused looking Bakura and a still distracted Mariku, "And the same goes for you two! Being a High Priest doesn't mean you can just louge about the palace without doing anything. You have work to do! And Seth!" The man whirled on the brunette, "I thought you knew better!"

With a groan Atemu, Seth and Bakura got up, Ryou, Jou and Yuugi throwing amused looks at their lovers. Mariku however, was still completely absorbed in his 'Malik-pretty' and had seemingly not caught a thing that had just been said. Atemu and Bakura gave each other one glance before dragging a now profusely protesting Mariku with them, Seth following with an amused smirk on his face. Malik, although he'd probably never admit it out loud, stared after them in disappointment, inwardly cursing Shimon for showing up.

The blonde sighed and flopped down on the bed next to Yuugi lazily, "So, what are we going to do while they annoy the hell out of each other?"

Jou sat down as well and shrugged, as usual having no ideas himself and leaving it up to the rest to decide what they would do, "I dunno, I doubt dere's a market in da palace we can terrorize."

Malik snickered at the memory of all the times they had 'terrorized' the market in the nearby town, "Maybe not… but there are a lot of other people in this palace to terrorize…" he gained a thoughtful though mischievous look, which was probably one of the most dangerous looks Malik could have. The other three shared glances.

"Haven't you been doing that for the past month already…?" Ryou frowned, "The servants here must already be scared to death of you."

Malik snapped out of his thoughts and simply shrugged, grinning widely as he got up, "At least they all know who I am! Anyone else coming?" He glanced back to the three still on the bed.

"I think he didn't get enough love when he was a baby." Yuugi snickered at Jou's words and Ryou gave a slight smile, making an obvious effort to hold back his laugher. Malik huffed at the comment before walking away, muttering under his breath about lousy friends.

"I think he'll destroy the palace if we don't keep an eye on him." Yuugi sighed and got up from the bed, glancing back at the other two, "Maybe we can save some people if we tag along."

The other two reluctantly got off the bed – they'd been quite comfortable – and followed Yuugi, who seemed to know exactly where they were going even though Malik was already out of sight. Life wasn't so bad here, and as long as they could keep Malik from doing permanent damage to the palace, none of them planned to complain about their new home away from home.

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And that, dear people, is IT! Lion Heart is officially finished! My god I thought I'd never get this done what with all the trouble it gave me… but I still managed it XD Yes, I feel quite proud of myself now. Well, I hope you all enjoyed the fic and Review for one more time! Cya when I actually manage to get inspiration for a new fic!

**Moony**

**P.S.: Before I forget…**** which I have been doing since chapter 1 v.v This fic was originally inspired by '**_**On The Prowl**_**' by '**_**Zephyr-Sombra**_**'. If you don't know her fics, you really should go check it out because she rocks! One of the best authors on this site with ease XD**


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